To Turn a Raging Tide of Cherry Blossoms
by Taisho Samara
Summary: When sent on a mission to Suna, Sakura and Neji encounter a certain Uchiha, who plans to use Sakura to rebuild his clan. Now she's stuck with two problems; the homicidal Uchiha and one from her past. Throw in two children from Suna and conniving summons..
1. Shinobi Soccer

A/N: Okay! This is my first time writing a Naruto FanFic, much less a Neji/Sakura. I really love that pairing, as well as Gaara/Sakura, so I hope I do well on this story! AND! I actually researched the techniques they used on the show and video games! Wikipedia is awesome! Okay! Please enjoy! And if you're a fan of Sasuke, or the Sasuke/Sakura pairing, I swear, if you flame me, you'll regret it...

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Neji and Sakura would already be together, and Sasgay...excuse me...Sasuke... would be burning in the hottest part of Hell right now... GO MY HATE FOR THE UCHIHA!!! Well, Itatchi's pretty cool... I'm only saying this once! SO GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS!!! Thanks!:3

**Chapter 1: Shinobi Soccer**

The demanding voice of the Fifth Hokage rang throughout the Hokage Tower.

"SHIZUNE!!!" she bellowed, summoning her secretary into her office.

In a hurried frenzy, the young woman broke through the door, an armful of important documents which were previously in her hands, fell to the floor when she tripped over her two feet in her rushed attempt to make it to Godaime's office before her temper caused her to end up on guard duty...or worse...a D-ranked mission...

Out of breath, Shizune replied, "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade, who had been turned, facing the large windows behind her desk, spun to face her paranoid assistant, who was currently gathering the papers that had been dropped onto the floor. She clasped her hands together in a serious motion, before she spoke to Shizune.

"Shizune, I want you to send for Haruno Sakura, and Hyuga Neji." she told her assistant.

"Hai, Hokage-sama, but why?" she asked, curious as to why the Godaime was only calling for two people, when usually going on a mission consisted of at least a three-man cell.

"DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, SHIZUNE!! JUST GET HYUGA AND HARUNO IN HERE!" thundered the Fifth, pounding here hands on her desk, and standing up threateningly.

"H-h-hai!" exclaimed Shizune, before scampering out the door with the dropped documents gathered messily in her hands.

ZLZLZLZ

Neji Hyuga wasn't that hard to find; he was in his usual training spot, where he liked to practice alone, destroying all hopes for our Youthful Green Beast of Konoha...

The spot was at Team Seven's old training grounds, where no one ever really came near anymore. Since the old team had broken apart, with Naruto traveling on the road with Jaraiya for training, and Sasuke betraying the village to go to Orochimaru, Sakura was the only one left. She was also the only one who ever stopped by the old grounds, but it was always before or after Neji started his training... He made sure of it...

Just as he finished perfecting his Jyuuken style on one of the wooden posts, Shizune appeared before him, holding a serious look on her face.

"Hyuga Neji," she started. "Tsunade-sama wishes to speak with you and Haruno Sakura. If you could tell her to meet with Hokage-sama, I would be most grateful." Shizune bowed her head to the young Chuunin, hoping that he'd accept.

"Where is Haruno Sakura?" inquired the genius shinobi, obviously ready to meet with the Fifth Hokage.

Shizune looked startled for a moment, before going into deep thought about where her 'little sister' would be at this time.

"Um... Well, she's off duty at the hospital at the moment, and usually after that, she goes to shinobi soccer practice. She should be there tonight. I think they have a match..." she explained, trailing off as to think about which team they were playing against.

"Right." Neji, who barely knew Sakura, hadn't expected her to be a shinobi soccer player. It was a dangerous sport, with there being jutsu allowed in the game. In the moment he took to think over how reckless the kunoichi was, he was already on his way to the open field where the game would take place.

ZLZLZLZ

It would only be a matter of minutes before the Konoha Kunoichi were to take on the Hidden Leaf Shinobi. Both were teams that represented Konoha, but one team was entirely made up of girls, while the other was entirely made up of boys. It may seem unfair, but neither team was to be underestimated.

So far, the Konoha Kunoichi were undefeated, winning against every team that they played. The Hidden Leaf Shinobi had only lost one game, and that was to a team from Suna. All in all, it would prove to be a very interesting match between the two groups of ninja.

The Konoha Kunoichi team consisted of Sakura, TenTen, Hinata, Ino, and Ayame. The Hidden Leaf Shinobi had Chouji, Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, and Shino. Only five players were on each team, as opposed to regular soccer. Though Ayame isn't really much of a ninja, her skills on the soccer field were a great source of power to the Konoha Kunoichi.

When Neji had arrived at the field, he saw large masses of people gathered around the perimeter of the arena, in multiple bleachers. He was able to find an empty seat close to the field, and had just sat down when he saw flashes of hot pink rush and black out of one of the sidelines of the arena. On the other side, flashes of forest green and black rushed out onto the field.

The team captains, who were Sakura and Shikamaru, stood at the center of the playing area, shook hands briefly, and wished each other luck. It wasn't like it was an important game; being shinobi, there were missions that needed to be handled, so there was no time for championship games.

In the goals stood Ayame, and Chouji. That was where having Ayame on the team came in handy; she didn't have to run much, and with her keen eye and fast reflexes, she was able to catch just about anything that came her way.

Defending the goalie were Hinata, and TenTen, who, with combined jutsu, could stop multiple people in their tracks, with Jyuuken, and multiple weapon jutsu at their disposal. On the other team, Shino and Shikamaru defended Chouji.

On offence were Sakura and Ino, both great choices when it came to knocking a team down to size. With power-filled kicks, it didn't take much for Sakura to score a goal for her team, and Ino could easily take control of the goalie to leave the goal wide open for Sakura. It was one of their many perfect combinations. Kiba and Lee were on the offensive on the Hidden Leaf Shinobi team, with Lee's speed and taijutsu and Kiba's dog-like methods, they were close rivals to the Konoha Kunoichi team.

Neji was already starting to feel that this would be an interesting match, to say the least. Though, there were slightly more people cheering for the Konoha Kunoichi, he couldn't help but stay neutral. After all, both of his teammates were on opposite teams.

The match was started at the blow of a whistle, and both teams were preparing for what was coming to them. The Hidden Leaf Shinobi were worried, if only slightly, though. It was only in shinobi soccer, and the rare occasion she was able to go on a mission, when Sakura used her jutsu. None of the men had ever seen what new techniques she had learned since Sasuke left, besides the medical jutsu she used whenever they were checked into the Konoha hospital, or the mission when they had to repay the favor to Gaara and his siblings.

It didn't take long for the Hidden Leaf Shinobi to start off with Lee and Kiba, though. The two had come charging to the Konoha Kunoichi's side of the field, without so much as an ounce of doubt in their abilities.

That, however, changed when they discovered that they were caught in a genjutsu that Sakura had activated on her side of the field. They thought that they were right on the goal, and had made Hinata and TenTen collapse from just the sight of them, but as they thought they got closer, the goal kept getting farther and farther away. And since neither of them had the capabilities to escape such a genjutsu, cast by Sakura, no less, they were in no position to handle the ball, until Sakura found it fit to release the jutsu.

All the spectator's saw was Lee and Kiba passing the goal, lose the ball, and keep running, not knowing that they had done so. All Lee and Kiba saw was the goal getting farther away...

Now, Sakura was handling the ball, dribbling it up the field, with Ino close by at the flank. The blond put her hands in the sign used for her Shintenshin no Jutsu, and overtook the mind of the captive goalie, who was interested as to why his teammates had just ran past the goal.

Just as she was about to kick the ball in for a goal, Sakura was frozen in place. Next to her, Shikamaru was smirking, and said, "Kage Shibari no Jutsu!", loud enough for the audience to hear.

TenTen, seeing her friend and teammate's distress, threw a kunai at the unexpecting shadow user, hitting him in the leg. He fell to the ground on his knee, and in losing his concentration, he lost control of the jutsu.

Neji watched the scene of the game unfold with wide eyes, and now he had a whole new respect for the players of shinobi soccer. Especially the Konoha Kunoichi... It was actually becoming interesting for him to watch.

Though it seemed like it didn't take much time, a half of the game had already gone by. When Shikamaru had lost control of his Kage Shibari no Jutsu, and with Chouji being controlled by Ino's Shintenshin no Jutsu, Sakura was able to score a goal for her team, making the crowd go wild!

Now, the score was 1-0, the Konoha Kunoichi in the lead. But there was still a half of the game to go.

By the rules of shinobi soccer, all genjutsu placed on team members must be removed by the end of the first half of the game. A couple scouting ninja had happened to come across Kiba and Lee, after Sakura had dispelled her jutsu, and brought them back to the arena.

Now having a ten minute break to rest up on, Sakura and her teammates rushed to the sidelines in an excited hysteria. The five girls hugged each other to celebrate their domination of the first half of the game, and all gathered their water bottles for a quick sip of something to drink.

It was then that Neji decided to confront Sakura. He rose from his seat on the bleachers, and appeared before the pink-haired kunoichi in a flurry of leaves, startling her, which resulted in water being spilled on her uniform.

"Aw, man!" groaned Sakura. "Hyuga-san! Why must you scare me like that!?" she demanded from the stoic ninja before her while trying to dry her uniform off with a dry sweat rag.

Neji was slightly amused at how jumpy the rosette was, but he kept it hidden behind an unemotional mask. Also, he was annoyed at the way she always called him, "Hyuga-san". It bugged him that she could never bring herself to just call him Neji, or something of the sort, but, he really couldn't blame her, since he referred to her in a similar manner...

"Haruno-san." he acknowledged. "Tsunade-sama has requested our presence at the Hokage Tower." He noted the slight frown on the shorter ninja's face, but he couldn't tell if it was because he called her "Haruno-san", or if it was because Tsunade had requested her arrival in the middle of a big game... He soon found out, however, when her voice interrupted with his train of thought.

"Hyuga-san," she sighed. "I've told you a hundred times, at least, to just call me Sakura." When it finally started to sink in that Tsunade needed her, her eyes bulged, and she paused at the mission of getting her uniform dry. "TSUNADE-SHISHOU!!! NOW!? IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME!?!?"

Neji backed away, if only slightly, to avoid being slaughtered by the raging medic-nin, who, if just to beat something to take her anger out on, would probably kill him, then bring him back to life, then kill him again, clone him, bring his clones and himself back to life, and then kill all his clones... All because the Fifth Hokage had disrupted her game...even if he knew about the summoning before the game started...

"Haruno-san, you have time to finish, you know..." Neji dead panned, completely serious, and also fearful, when telling this to the kunoichi.

Sakura was no longer in a mad raging fit, but instead, turned to Neji, and said again, "Hyuga-san...that now makes one hundred and one... Please, just call me Sakura." she pleaded, throwing her towel on the bench where her teammates were seated.

Neji just looked at her, and took a moment to reply, as if thinking it over. 'What could it hurt?' he thought, voicing his other thought. "Well, Harun- I mean, Sakura, if I am to call you as such, you must call me Neji. Not 'Hyuga-san'..."

At first, Sakura was shocked, to say the least, but then a smile formed on her face, and she vigorously nodded her head in agreement.

Just then, the whistle blew, signaling the players to get back on the field.

Waving to Neji, Sakura shouted, "I'll catch you after the game!", while running out with her team back onto the field.

ZLZLZLZ

The game was much better in the second half, than in the first. The Hidden Leaf Shinobi had upped their game, by being more careful of avoiding Sakura's genjutsu, and they managed to score a couple goals, much to the displeasure of Ayame. In the end, though, the score was 5-4, with the Konoha Kunoichi scoring a last minute goal with a combination of an earthshattering stomp to the ground, causing a small earthquake to disorient the Hidden Leaf Shinobi, and then Ino going in for the goal when Chouji fell to the ground.

The Konoha Kunoichi congratulated the Hidden Leaf Shinobi on a well played game, and better luck next time, before returning to the sidelines to retrieve their extra gear, like water bottles, duffle bags, and small towels.

Sakura noted Neji sitting on their bench, next to her stuff, and waved goodbye to her team, shouting, "Good game, girls!" as they walked off to their families. She walked up to Neji, gathered her belongings, and waited for him to follow her.

Neji was still in a daze from when he saw Sakura's inhuman strength on the soccer field. He knew that just one blow from her fist could seriously harm him, if not kill him. When the small quake ended, he was laying on the ground, having fallen out of his seat from the intensity of the shaking. Finally, he willed himself to follow Sakura to the Hokage Tower, where said Hokage was in a blind rage because the two ninja she had sent for over an hour and a half ago still had not reached her office...

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well? How was the first chapter? Was I bad? Good? Average? TELL ME!

The shinobi soccer thing really doesn't have much to do with the story, but I wanted to add it in as an extra. We all know that Sakura doesn't spend every winking moment of her life after Sasuke left in the hospital tending to patients. I just wanted to give her something more interesting to do, that no one had really given her to do in any of the other stories... I'm really sorry about the team names, though... I was in such a rush to post this up, I couldn't force myself to be anymore creative, and, well...it resulted in the names of Konoha Kunoichi, and Hidden Leaf Shinobi...

Please review!

Ja ne!

-Zutara Lover


	2. Two Man Team to Suna

A/N: Wow! Apparently, my story is good so far! Who would have thought?! Well, a big thanks to:

-ZUTARAlove (Neji/Sakura is a cute coupleཀ But, so is Gaara/Sakura. This just so happens to be the first couple I got an idea for.;3)

-Inuyoukai-san (YES!! BRING ON TSUNADE'S RAGE!! WOO HOO!!)

-KenSan1990 (I will never be as bad as you are, my friend...)

-Stephanie (Thanks!)

-Misticgoth (Flattery will get you EVERYWHERE!! Thanks!)

-heynamassu (Yay! You like it! I'm glad you like more than one of my stories!)

Thanks, everyone! My self-esteem had gone through the roof! Here's your reward; ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR MY FAITHFUL READERS!!

**Chapter 2: Two Man Team to Suna**

When the two chuunin arrived at the Hokage Tower, they were met with an intoxicated Tsunade, who was fighting over a bottle of sake with her already stressed assistant. That much they could tell just by standing outside her office...

"Tsunade-sama! You shouldn't be drinking! It's not fit for a Hokage! Especially one at your age!" warned Shizune, finally succeeding at prying the empty bottle of sake from her master's fingers. Of course, the comment about the Godaime's age set her off the top, rather than the theft of her sake bottle...

"SHIZUNE!! HOW DARE YOU!! I'M NOT OLD!!" hollered the extremely pissed Legendary Sannin.

In order to avoid being pounded into a pulp, Shizune escaped through the double doors that led to the hallway, where Neji and Sakura were patiently, if not fearfully, waiting for admission to the Hokage's office.

"Sakura-chan, Hyuga-san, y-you can go in, n-now." stammered the fear-stricken subordinate, sprinting down the hall, with the empty sake bottle in hand.

Neji and Sakura nodded at each other, Neji staying stoic in his expression, Sakura with a bead of sweat signaling annoyance rolling down her cheek.

Sakura tapped on the door softly, peeking her head into her teacher's office. "Tsunade-shishou?" she tested carefully, waiting for a reaction from her infuriated sensei.

She heard a muffled, "Come in...", which was most likely caused by the fact that the blond-haired ninja's head was lying on her desk. She sounded tired, probably because of the squabble she had just had with her assistant.

Motioning to Neji that it was safe to come in, Sakura stood in front of the drunken Sannin's desk, with Neji standing beside her... But they were far from safe from the Godaime's wrath... It was just a ploy to get the two to come closer...

Tsunade raised her pig-tailed head sharply, staring at the chuunin before her with a menacing gaze.

"Where the Hell were you two!? I sent for you over two hours ago! What took you so long!?" she screamed in a low-pitched voice, causing Neji to flinch, and Sakura, well, she was used to her teachers "lectures", as Tsunade liked to call them, and she managed to keep her cool.

Not having time to change out of her soccer uniform, Sakura still had her black shorts and hot pink jersey on her person, her towel wrapped around her neck like a boa. Tsunade noticed this, and the volume of her voice drastically lowered.

"Oh, that's right..." remembered the Hokage. "You did have a game tonight Sakura... How did the Konoha Kunoichi do against the Hidden Leaf Shinobi?" She laced her fingers together, resting her chin on top of them, giving off a flicker of interest, and understanding what caused the delay in her student's arrival. Shinobi soccer was a very big sport in Konoha, even if there weren't that many games. In fact, you could say that the reason they were so popular, was because of the rarity the teams actually played.

Sakura closed her eyes, and crossed her arms over her breast, replying to her sensei, "It was close, but we won. I think it was because Shikamaru was distracted by Ino... More than usual, if you know what I mean..."

Neji rolled his eyes. He was ready to find out why they were summoned to the Hokage Tower at such short notice, and he voiced his thoughts to the Hokage herself.

"So, Hyuga, you're that eager to start your mission?" inquired the aging Hokage. When Neji only responded with his usual cold stare, she continued. "Well then, I'll give you the briefing." She pulled out a scroll from a stack beside her desk, and looked it over, making sure it was the right one. She tossed it to Neji, who caught it easily, and looked it over.

"_Konoha Hokage, Tsunade-sama,_

_I am in dire need of assistance. I require two of your most experienced shinobi to_ _help us with our recently established Academy for Young Ninja. Of the few teachers we have, two of them have been murdered by an unknown shinobi. Most likely, he/she infiltrated the village, and is now lurking somewhere nearby, but so far, our searches have been in vain. If you could send two of your most capable ninja to continue teaching the new academy students, as well as help us gather information about this ninja, I would be most grateful._

_Sincerely,_

_Suna Kazekage , Subaku no Gaara_ (This was in was originally in cursive...)

_Suna Kazekage, Subaku no Gaara"_

When Neji was through reading it aloud, he turned to Sakura for a reaction. Other than looking mildly shocked at the news, Sakura was interested by the mission.

"Shouldn't you ask more experience ninja, who aren't only chuunin? I mean, Kakashi-senpai would be a better choice, don't you think?" inquired the medic-nin.

Tsunade nodded her head in agreement, placing her hands in her lap. "I do not doubt your abilities, Sakura, Neji. That's why I'm sending you two to Suna. You two are more than qualified to be jounin already, you just haven't passed the exam, yet. In your age groups, you two are the most reliable, and with you being a medic, Sakura, that only makes the importance of your participation double." she explained, her face showing only seriousness.

"When are we to leave?" questioned the Hyuga prodigy.

Tsunade moved her hand to her forehead, and massaged her temples, thinking about his question. When she finally answered, she said, "You'll need to get your belongings packed. And pack well, for this mission will take _at least_ five months." When Sakura and Neji nodded their heads in confirmation, Tsunade continued. "Sakura, you will be captain, though I highly doubt you two won't be able to work something out. You are, after all, the two best tactical thinkers in the village, after Shikamaru, of course." she told them with a smirk. "I say that you'll leave in about two hours. Now go!" dismissed the Hokage, turning her attention to the, in her opinion, "Kami-forsaken paperwork".

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" replied the two chuunin in unison, bowing, and then exiting the Hokage Tower.

Now walking on the dirt path that led to their respective houses, Sakura spoke to Neji. "Neji, do you think Tsunade-shishou was right in her judgment?" she asked, turning her head so that she could look at the older chuunin.

Neji didn't look at her. He only replied, "Har- I mean, Sakura, has Tsunade-sama ever led you to believe something wasn't true?" Her name was something that he was still not used to saying.

Sakura placed her hand to her chin in a thoughtful manner, naming off a list of times Tsunade had led someone in the wrong direction. "Well, there was the time when she sent Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata on a fake mission in the mountains, she gambles, she continuously lies to Shizune about her drinking, and-"

Neji cut her off. "Well, I know she wasn't lying about you... You are no longer the weak little girl you were two years ago. You have already become one of the best medics in the village, not to mention genjutsu and trap-setting, and your taijutsu and stamina have greatly improved since the Chuunin exams two years ago." he noted, unaware that he was complimenting the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Really? Wow. I have never really thought about it like that. Or the Chuunin exams for that matter..." Her face read regret, and a sad longing was in her eyes, from what Neji could tell, even with Byakugan... She was remembering when Gaara had attacked, and she was nothing but a hindrance, while Naruto saved her life. She also remembered that was...one of her last missions...with_ him._

But there also seemed to be a trace of something else. Something even bigger than Sasuke was bothering her, but as he did not know Sakura personally, it would be impolite to inquire as to what was wrong.

Neji was about to apologize for bringing the subject up, but he was cut off by a broadly smiling Sakura.

"Thanks, Neji." she said softly, finally getting over her self-pity. She had done something about it, and that was the best that anyone in her condition at the time could do. She didn't want to be a weak little girl anymore, and she did something about it; she tried harder, and trained under the Fifth Hokage, instead of just complaining about her situation, and that was something Neji secretly admired in her, though he would never admit it. However, the way the smile was immediately back on her face concerned him. It was...strange.

When they reached the apartment that Sakura lived in, alone, might I add, Neji walked her to her door. "I'll meet you at the gates in two hours." he told her, pulling the scroll out from his pocket, and handing it to her. "Since you're captain, you should hold onto this."

Neji disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving Sakura at her doorstep, thinking about the days events.

**_Well, he's much better than Sasuke... He complimented us! Sasuke never did that!_** exclaimed Inner Sakura, who was squealing in excitement.

Sakura sighed. 'Great...she's back...I thought I got rid of her...' she thought as she closed the door to her apartment.

_**And we'll be alone with him for five months! Shannaro!**_

From experience, Sakura had learned that if she just ignored her inner-self, she would go away. So, she entered her room, gathered all her necessary materials, like weapons, spare clothes, brush, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc., and by the time she was done, Inner Sakura was nowhere within earshot...

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well? How was chapter two? I know it probably didn't meet up to your expectations in the 'Tsunade Practically Murders Them Because They Were Late' category, but I tried... Give me some credit. Well, now a new twist to the plot has been entered. PLEASE REVIEW, AND I'LL UPDATE!!

Ja ne!

-Kaiso


	3. Boiling, Beauty, Breathless

A/N: Okay! Here's another chapter! You know, I never thought that this story would be so popular! I'm happy that it is, though! Then again, my other story is twice as popular than this one is. This one has , what, almost 600 hits? The other one has about 1,000, so far, and I like updating this story much more than that one! O.O; What does that tell ya? I have one word... FLUKE!!!

Thanks to these people for reviewing last chapter!

-JKC

-Disella

-heynamassu

-KenSan1990

-ZUTARAlove

-BleedingSaro

-Miss Neji Hyuuga 4eva

Gomen, I have no comments today...

Well, here's your chapter!!! Idea given to me by heynamassu! Big thanks to her, everyone!

**Chapter 3: Boiling, Beauty, Breathless**

Not even an hour later, Sakura had gathered her belongings, changed into her shinobi garb, with her chakra gloves included, and was already standing outside the Hyuga manor. From a quick talk with a trustworthy guard, Sakura was earlier than expected, and Neji was still preparing for the mission. The guard had allowed Sakura to enter, and wait for the pearly-eyed Hyuga with Hinata in the dining area.

Hinata herself had recently returned from her soccer game, and had already taken the time to grab a quick shower, before changing into her night clothes. When she had heard that Sakura was in her home, she rushed to the dining hall to meet her friend, and team captain.

"S-sakura-chan. I-I-I wasn't expecting y-you here." stuttered the nervous heiress, approaching Sakura with stealthy footsteps.

Sakura beamed at her trusted friend. "Hinata-chan! I didn't think you'd still be up. We had a very intense match, tonight." she told the young woman, who had opted to sit next to her on a cushion that had served as a chair.

"I-I was too excited about our victory. I-I don't wish to jinx us, but we haven't lost yet. I-if we can win our next two games, we'll be the best team in Konoha!" exclaimed the excited shy girl, who had lost most of her stutter. "But, S-sakura-chan, what are you doing here? Surely you didn't j-just come to congratulate me on a good g-game." Hinata acknowledged a maid who had just set out two cups of china, before pouring some scalding hot jasmine tea for the two ladies.

Sakura thanked the maid before taking a small sip of the scented beverage. "Neji-san and I have a mission, and I came to wait for him. We'll be gone for at least five months, so, I kinda wanted to say goodbye to you while I was here." explained the pink-haired kunoichi, taking another sip as she finished her sentence.

Hinata nodded her head in understanding. She also understood that by being so vague, Sakura had no intention of revealing the extended mission to her. "Well, I w-wish you luck, Sakura-chan." As if realizing something very suddenly, Hinata abruptly rose from her seat. "Oh! Sakura-chan! I have something to give you for your mission! Hold on a sec!" The main house member ran out into the hallway, and sprinted down the hall. From as many times as Sakura had been at the manor for a sleep over with Hinata, she knew she was running to her room.

Knowing that it would be a few minutes before Hinata would return, Sakura patiently sipped at her tea, carefully avoiding burning her lips and tongue. As she was about to place her china cup back on the table, a voice startled her, and it was all she could do to not drop the fragile cup.

"Sakura, you're early." noted the stoic prodigy, slightly surprised that she had not taken the time to shower herself.

Sakura knew what he was implying, and normally, she would have blushed at her mistake, but instead, she giggled. "Oh, Neji, I didn't know you were ready." she started. "On our way to Suna, there are these hot springs that are purely wondrous. I've been there a couple times on B-ranked missions to Suna, and they're not so close to Konoha where we'd have to dely our journey to stop. While you rest up, I'll use that as my cleansing get away."

Neji still was slightly confused. "But why not take the time to shower while you were at home?" he inquired, placing the belongings that he had gathered near a seat close to Sakura.

"Well, why get clean only to get dirty immediately afterwards? At least I'll have a clean feeling when we stop for the night. Besides," she crossed her arms over her chest, "the hot springs are worth it. You should try them. They're very relaxing." she explained, getting stars in her eyes.

**_And maybe it'll help ease that pole out of his stoic ass... _**huffed Inner Sakura.

_Hey! Be nice! He's not like that, anymore! He's not completely stiff!_ defended our pink-haired kunoichi.

**_Ah, but you admit he's stiff... Oh, well, it's no use arguing with you, anymore, you just ignore me anyway... At least maybe you'll get to see him shirtless! _**cackled the inner figment.

Sakura did her best to hide her blush as the image popped into her head, but Neji saw it before it could fully fade away. "Umm... The tea was really hot, and-" Sakura's defense was quickly crumbling at her, figuratively speaking, feet. Thinking on her feet, she quickly changed the subject back to the hot springs. "Oh, but the minerals in the springs are very good for the skin! It's like it completely rejuvenates the body! In fact..." Sakura paused to pull out a notepad from her pack.

"What are you doing?" questioned Neji, slightly raising an eyebrow to show his irritation.

Along with her notepad, Sakura also pulled out a test-tube, and tied it to her belt. "I'm making a note to myself to get samples of the water. If they have special properties, then I'm sure they will be helpful in the hospital, or at least with Tsunade-shishou's medical research." As she spoke, she wrote down her memo, and tied it to the test-tube, which, luckily, was unbreakable decontaminated plastic.

"That's smart. I never knew you were also so dedicated to the hospital. I can see why Tsunade-sama chose you to be team captain for this mission." Neji once again complimented her unknowingly, and made a pause before he spoke again. "We should go, now. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get to Suna." He picked up his pack, and stood from his seat, motioning to the door.

Sakura took another sip of her tea, and said, "Wait! Hinata is on her way back. She said she wanted to give me something for the mission." Her voice was calm, but behind it, she really wanted to see Hinata again before she left. If she left without saying goodbye, after promising to wait for her, Hinata's self-esteem would drop to even more dangerous levels than it usually was...

"Very well, Captain." Neji placed his pack back to its original spot on the ground, and sat next to it, not bothering to talk to the medic-nin he sat across from.

No more than another minute passed when Hinata returned to the room, a few vials of an unknown substance in her hands. In all, there were four, one a pale pink, one a pale blue, one pale purple, and the last pale green. She set them on the table, in front of Sakura, and began to tell her which vials contained which substance.

"The p-pink vial has a deadly poison in it. It smells like Sakura blossoms, which is one of the ingredients, really, but is mixed with doku root, a poisonous plant that was ground up with the cherry b-blossoms. It's deadly, but it's poison is undetectable." She opened the vial, which was no wider than a quarter, and about three times as thick. "Th-the portion looks meager, b-but it really is a large amount." explained the tired heiress.

Sakura nodded, and carefully placed the now capped vial in her weapons pouch.

Neji just sat, patiently waiting to get on with the mission. He was intrigued, nonetheless, for he didn't know such a poison existed. In fact, he had to wonder where Hinata, of all people, could've obtained it.

The violet-haired kunoichi continued on, picking up the blue vial. "This vial contains naosu root, a small amount of blueberry juice, and a little bit of alcohol. It is s-surprisingly effective for healing gashes, and larger cuts, but is t-too strong for something as small as a kunai slit, or random small cuts. It'll d-disinfect the wound, provide some nutrients, and make sure that the injury is healed well." She passed the blue vial to Sakura, and it was about twice as big as the pink vial.

Sakura carefully opened the lid, and as the cap came off, she could smell the faint scent of blueberry. She closed the vial, and placed it in a separate pouch for her medical supplies.

Moving onto the purple vial, which was about the size of a closed fist, Hinata opened it up, to reveal a container of violet food pills. They looked normal, despite the fact that they smelled like jasmine and grapes.

"Th-these food pills will give you a large boost of energy when you are low on chakra. They are infused with a special blend of jasmine, to calm the body quickly, then a dose of sumire nectar, to enhance your natural abilities at least twice over." She passed a pill to Sakura. "They also have a pleasant flavor of grapes and tea."she said with a smile, encouraging her friend to try the small capsule.

Sakura, whose chakra was still a bit low from her match, allowed herself to place the pill in her mouth, and bite down on its crunchy outer shell. As soon as she did, she was met, as promised, with a grape and jasmine flavor, which she felt rush down her throat, then, an immediate sense of serenity, and calmness, and she also felt her chakra peaking to its upmost point. Once the chakra had reached its highest levels, Sakura immediately felt more aware of her surroundings, and any fatigue that she had recently felt had been washed away.

Hinata's voice broke her out of her calm, yet powerfully increased, state. "They usually wear off in about an hour, or so. Much longer than what I made for K-Kiba-kun two years ago." she explained, her cheeks now slightly tinted pink.

Neji's eyes widened, but not noticeably. Sakura was much, _much_ less discreet.

"Hinata-chan! You made these!?" exclaimed the rosette kunoichi in wonder, pointing at the food pills.

Hinata blushed an even darker shade of pink, nodding her head slowly. "H-hai... I-if y-you don't like th-them, you d-don't have to t-take them..." So much for self-confidence...

Sakura stood from her seat, and gently padded over to her friend, before dropping down to a sitting position like the heiress, and clutching her in a tight hug, trying not to crush her. "Oh! Hinata-chan! They're wonderful! Did you make the others, too?" she inquired, releasing her grip on the shocked young woman.

"H-hai. I've been collecting herbs f-from the forest. It's b-been a couple years now. Those are my new creations; Sakura Doku, Naosu Mi, Sumire Jozai, and the green vial is what I call Hakka Furo. It's a bathing cream with the scent and properties of mint leaves." she was relieved when she found out that Sakura had really liked her gifts, but still, she was cautious with her words. Neji was now giving her his how-did-you-do-this-sort-of-thing-when-you're-under-constant-watch stare. It was actually the first time he'd ever had to use it...

Sakura took the Hakka Furo in her hand, which was about the size of a normal bottle of shampoo, and opened the cap, breathing in the fresh scent of mint.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan. I'll make sure I use them. They'll be very useful for the mission." Sakura smiled at her fidgety friend, before enveloping her in another hug. She soon released her grip from the exhausted girl's body, and followed Neji out the door, waving goodbye to her friend. "I'll make sure to get you a souvenir from Suna!" called the kunoichi as she left the dining hall, and one of the many houses she wouldn't see for five months or more...

ZLZLZLZ

Not even a half-hour out of the Hidden Leaf Village, Sakura and Neji had already started making their way through the thick trees. Konoha wasn't known as the Hidden Leaf Village for nothing...

For those few minutes that had been the quiet part of the mission, Neji and Sakura hadn't said anything to each other; just a few hand gestures and nods. But now, Neji felt the need to break the imposing silence.

"Captain," he started. Before he could continue his sentence, however, he was cut off.

"Neji, again, I ask that you call me Sakura. And as captain, I order you to do so." she told him with a giggle, as she was hopping from branch to branch.

"Okay, _Sakura_," he tried again. No matter how many times she told him, it was still difficult to address her in such an informal manner. "Did you have any idea that Hinata-sama was making these...these concoctions?" he asked, slightly disappointed that his cousin didn't tell him about her little hobby.

Sakura turned her head to her teammate. "Gomen, Neji, but she didn't speak a word to me about it. I never knew. I never even knew she knew how to create such mixtures." she said, sharing her insight on the matter. "But, then again, there were always the small signs. Like, the Chuunin exams, for example. I never knew Kiba used food pills, or that Hinata always carried a small vial of medicinal cream with her everywhere. And she always seemed to know which herb did what, even before she was taught about it. You know, things like that."

Neji nodded his head. Sakura did have a point. The signs were everywhere, but they were so small, he had overlooked them. Hinata may not be so strong physically, but she did have a talent in the medical field, with both its helpful, and harmful, effects. She had found a way to put her talents into her strengths, so that she now was one of the best ninja in the village. A ninja that he would be proud to see success Hiashi.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, which usually didn't happen, mind you, that he didn't notice that Sakura had stopped her tree traveling to stand on a strong branch with her hand against the trunk, until he had reached said branch. With just enough strength, as well as flexibility and reflexes, Neji was able to come to a sudden stop, right next to Sakura.

Making it look like it was intentional, the young genius quickly crouched on the branch, keeping his balance with his fingers wrapped around the rough bark of the large stick.

"Neji, do you see any traps, or other ninja?" she asked, already aware of the dangers they would be facing on this mission. They were already about five miles away from Konoha, which was still pretty close, but chances were not something to be taken on a mission without preparation for the consequences.

Neji focused his chakra to his eyes, which made the veins around them bulge. "Byakugan!" he said, releasing the Kekkei Genki so that he could see through the forest area. Thoroughly, he scanned the area with keen eyes, making sure that he didn't miss any important details. Seeing nothing within the two miles his sight covered, he turned to Sakura, and released the jutsu. "There's nothing ahead of us, _yet_." he reported, standing to his full height.

Sakura acknowledged this with a nod of her head, and with a powerful jump, continued on her way through the thick forest, with Neji close behind her.

It went on like that for about seven hours, with dawn approaching in the distance. They had been moving all night, without the luxury of sleep like in their normal routines. It had been decided between the two shinobi, that they would travel at night, so as to use the darkness to their advantage. To shinobi in armor and weapons seen traveling through the tree tops during the day would only arouse suspicion, while at night, their dark colored clothing was able to blend well with the darkness.

Luckily, the hot springs that Sakura had wanted to bathe in so badly were only a couple more miles further. Neji had confirmed that with his last Byakugan trap check.

In her mind, Sakura had decided that they would set up camp, which would consist of two sleeping blankets and a small fire that could be covered up so that they weren't discovered, before she would go to bathe. The hot springs themselves were hidden away from humanity, and only a few people knew of the existence, much less the whereabouts of these special springs, and Sakura was one of those few people.

There, she could wash away all her worries and fears, and get a chance to use the Hakka Furo that Hinata had given her. She couldn't wait to immerse herself in the comforting boil of the mineral containing water! Neji, though, she wasn't so sure he'd be one to voluntarily enter a calming bath...

Little did our little cherry blossom know, a certain Hyuga was ready to wash away all the sweat and dirt that had accumulated on his body over the course of the twilight journey. He had no intention of showing up in Suna while covered in dirt, sweat, twigs, leaves, and especially sand, for they would soon enter the scorching environment of the desert, when he could look at least somewhat presentable.

In only a few minutes, they had reached their temporary campground. It was a good few metes away from the springs, so that meant they had a fresh source of water as well as a bathing area. The hot water would destroy any bacteria that would even try to contaminate the water, so the health of the water was not a problem.

When the blankets had been laid out, and a fire had been stoked, Sakura grabbed her vial of Hakka Furo, a towel, and an extra change of clothes, so that she would be able to cleanse her current outfit when she was through with her bath.

"Neji, I'm going to go bathe." she called to him as she stepped out of the small clearing.

Neji smirked as he said, "The springs are in the other direction." 'For a ninja,' he thought, 'she doesn't have a good sense of direction...' He stood from his current position as a blushing Sakura returned from the trees, embarrassed that she had made such a mistake.

She let out a nervous laugh before heading towards the cluster of trees opposite of where she had just exited. When Neji followed her, with his own change of clothes in hand, she started to spas out.

"Neji! I think I should go alone! I need my privacy!" she exclaimed, her blush turning an even darker shade of pink.

Neji noticed this, and inwardly smirked. "Demo, Sakura, if you couldn't find your way to the hot springs, what makes you think you'd be able to make it back to camp? Hm? And the springs are far enough away, that if an enemy was approaching from about a mile off, I wouldn't have seen them, and you'd be in danger." He walked in front of her, very confident in himself. "You wouldn't want to jeopardize the mission, would you, Sakura?" he asked smoothly, kicking dirt over the fire to extinguish it, incase it could be seen from a distance.

"Iie..." mumbled the defeated roseate, her inner-self going crazy, whether from extreme joy, anger, or both, she couldn't tell... "But don't you peek!" she ordered, her face flushed.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Gomen, Sakura, but there's really not much to look at."

Sakura knew that he was trying to rile her up, but what use would Neji be to the mission if he was unconscious when they got to Suna? Or for that matter, the whole five months? She was perfectly capable of making him slip into a coma... Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sakura silently counted to ten, before releasing a deep breath in order to calm herself down.

Neji, who had seen what an affect he'd had on the kunoichi, decided to cease his fire for now, leading the way to the hot springs, with Sakura trailing behind.

ZLZLZLZ

After much yelling, and the flight of many clothes, and other items, Sakura and Neji had both entered one of the springs, separately, of course. In all, there was a total of five hot springs, each on different elevations. All of them were about four to five feet in diameter, and about three feet deep, which was the perfect level for kneeling, or in Neji's case, sitting, to enjoy a relaxing bath. Kami knows they needed it after the bickering they had just done...

The hot springs, if they hadn't been natural formations, would've been thought to be manmade, because of the way they were arranged. Four surrounded a center, with no more than two feet in-between them for spacing. Unfortunately for Neji and Sakura, there wasn't much space to put between them, for Neji, out of pure spite, had decided to take the middle spring, leaving Sakura pissed, with nothing to take her anger out on... In fact, she was the one who had done most of the yelling... Neji only smirked, and would occasionally insert another witty comment to rile her up even further.

The relaxing baths ended with Neji using his Byakugan to see through the earthen container of water, him getting a pervy nosebleed, Sakura screaming her lungs out, and a small snake, slithering back into the bushes...

**End Chapter**

A/N: wow! That's probably the longest chapter I've ever written! Over 3700 words! Please review! Can anyone guess where the plot starts to thicken? If so, where? What sentence? Tell me in a review!

Ja ne!

-Zutara Lover


	4. Meeting with the Kazekage

A/N: I'm back! Sorry I took so long, but I was busy strolling down the path of life... JK! That's Kakashi's excuse! Anyway, this chapter was something of a filler... Hopefully, the next chapter will have heynamassu's other idea that she gave me... I really loved that idea!

Sorry, but today I'm too lazy to post the names of all my reviewers, but thank you to you all!!

Now, the person who did get the right answer for the plot thickening sentence was: -trumpet music- heynamassu! (Big surprise there... No joke! Gotta love 'er!)

Now, on with the chapter!

**Chapter 4: Meeting with the Kazekage**

Because of the constant quarreling of Neji and Sakura at the hot springs, Sakura had forgotten to take a sample of the water that night. The next night, making sure that Neji was still asleep so as to avoid any more of his nerve-racking comments, she grabbed her vial, and slipped away to the hot springs again. As soon as she had screwed the cap onto the bottle, a voice disturbed her peaceful collection.

"Come to relive last night's experiences?" smoothly asked the stoic ninja, smirking as he saw Sakura blush a deep shade of crimson.

The blush was from both embarrassment and anger, which Neji could tell by the trembling of the kunoichi's fists at her sides. He knew he was pushing it, but it was too damn funny!

"Neji! You are the biggest pervert I have ever met!!!" she screamed, hoping to strike a nerve. It didn't faze him in the least, much to her disappointment...

"What about Jaraiya?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in mock questioning.

"..." Sakura was silent, but she raised a fist threateningly. "I swear to Kami, that you will end up in a coma before this trip is over if you keep riling me up!" she warned, her eyes growing dark with anger.

Neji stepped closer to her, only an inch or two away from her face, smirking knowingly. "No you won't..." He stepped behind her, watching her irritation, and taking it in as a sweet elixir. It was completely out of his character, but hey, it was so easy and fun to make the pink-haired apprentice angry...

As her blush deepened in color, Sakura managed to stutter out, "Let's g-get moving.", before running back into the trees in order to return to their campsite to retrieve her things. With any luck, if they moved now, they'd make it to Suna before morning.

_**You know you like him teasing you like that! **_accused Inner Sakura, cackling to herself.

'_What do you mean by that!?'_ exclaimed Sakura, infuriated by her inner figment. For all the years that she had used to ignore her inner self, she had to go ahead and blow it by starting another argument with her...

_**Don't be so ignorant! You know you like him! **_she shot back, hoping to prove her theory correct by making herself say something that would ultimately inform her of the truth.

What Neji saw of his retreating captain, was the way her facial features contorted, as if she were arguing with herself. About what, he had no clue, but he guessed that it had something to do with him, and just thinking about that made him smirk. Byakugan really came in handy!

But there was one thing that confused him; why was he picking on Sakura? He never did so to any other girl in the village, so why tease Sakura? He was completely out of his character, but there was something about the way he made her blush with his comments that made it all seem worth it...

Shaking his head to rid himself of his troublesome thoughts, Neji continued on after Sakura, arriving at the small camp to find that it was already packed up, and more than half the equipment was now being carried by Sakura.

Moving to grab the rest of the supplies, Neji had to smirk at the look Sakura was giving him, which he saw with his Byakugan. It was in a slight pout, with a tint of pink brushing over her cheeks. She was also glaring holes into the back of his head...

"What?" he asked, hoping to embarrass her further. "Do you like what you see?"

Immediately, Sakura looked away giving a small, "Eep!", when Neji caught her staring at him. "Let's just go!" she ordered, jumping into a tree so that they could be on their way to the great desert country of Sunagakure.

ZLZLZLZ

As Sakura's predictions stated, they duo had reached Suna by the time the sun was rising over the great dunes, and as they approached the gate that led into the city, they were stopped the shinobi guarding the entrance.

"State your business here." ordered one of them, standing in their paths. He was tall enough to tower over Neji, and his eyes were protected by a pair of glasses, similar to Ebisu's. He also had a scar under his left eye, starting from the side of the nose, to the bottom of his jaw. All in all, he was _very_ intimidating...

Pulling out the original scroll that was sent to the Hokage, Sakura showed it to the guard, also motioning to the leaf headbands that adorned both her and Neji's foreheads.

"Haruno Sakura, and Hyuga Neji, upon requested arrival of Kazekage Gaara-sama, are to take the place of the two murdered shinobi in the village, as well as search for evidence that could potentially lead to the capture of the murderer." she stated, letting the guard look over the scroll.

Sure enough, what the kunoichi was saying was the truth, as proven by the Kazekage's very own signature, as well as the leaf headbands that both ninja were wearing. Stepping aside, the guard quickly saluted them, as if he were to be punished if he didn't, rambling out a quick, "H-Hai! You m-may enter Haruno-san, Hyuga-san!"

Said shinobi nodded their heads in acknowledgment to the guard, before running into the city, on their way to the Kazekage's office. Multiple sand-colored building passed by in a blur, caused by the speed that Neji and Sakura were running at. The sun had started to rise, and it had already started to illuminate the city, with the Kazekage Tower in the middle of all the buildings.

Within minutes, they had reached the front of the building, entering it from the front doors as the sandy wind blew in their faces. A startled secretary jumped from her seat as soon as the two ran through the front doors, immediately running ahead of them so that she could show them the way to the Kazekage's office after catching a glimpse of their leaf headbands.

After running up a few flights of stairs, and turning down numerous hallways, they finally came to a stop before a wooden door, similar to the one that marked the entrance of Tsunade's office.

The secretary gently tapped on the door, receiving a muffled, "Come in.", afterwards. She opened the door for Neji and Sakura, who immediately entered the room, looking at the back of Gaara's chair. Only when the secretary closed the door and left, did Gaara turn around.

"So, I see you made it." he told them, placing his elbows on the desk, and resting his chin on his knuckles, much like Tsunade.

"Hai!" replied Sakura, taking a few steps towards the desk, placing the scroll in front of the redhead. "We came as soon as we received the message."

Gaara lifted his head, and nodded with his black-rimmed eyes closed in thought. He had been thinking about the situation for quite awhile, but still, there were few words that could describe the incident.

Neji stepped up next to Sakura, now standing at attention. "What are the details, Gaara-sama?" he inquired, studying the Kazekage with his silver eyes.

Gaara sighed, and opened his eyes, now examining the Hokage's two choice ninja. "So, Tsunade-sama sent Haruno Sakura, and Hyuga Neji." He locked his eyes on Sakura, remembering their last encounter. "Tsunade-sama seems very confident in you, Sakura-san. You must have gotten stronger since our first encounter at the Chuunin Exams."

At his comment, Sakura was flushed red in the face with anger, yet, she knew that he now knew her strength, at least from when she had healed him in his fight against the Shintenshonin. She knew, that like Neji, Gaara now like to make fun of her, though it was less insulting, and more about the memories. At least Gaara teased her like a friend, while Neji... she didn't quite know what he teased her like...

Because he had started to make fun of her, she found it safe to cease the formal introductions. "Thanks a lot, Gaara-kun..." she mumbled sarcastically. She smirked though, when she remembered his oh-so-famous nickname...the one that she had given him on her last visit to Suna. "Or should I say, Panda-chan?"

A small pink blush appeared on Gaara's face. Coughing nervously, Gaara replied, "Um...Well, yes... Anyway, about why I summoned the Konoha shinobi." Now, it was obvious that the teasing had to stop...for now, anyways. "As you read in the scroll, two of our staff at the Suna Ninja Academy were murdered, just last week. Not only will you be taking over as the students' temporary instructors, but you will also be looking for information about the murderer, and who he, or she, might be." He pulled open one of the drawers of his desk, reaching inside to grab a file containing the papers that the two shinobi would need. "Here are your application forms, giving you your room numbers, and students. Hand these in to the head shinobi of the academy, and, after you get some decent rest, you will start your shifts tomorrow morning."

"Hai!"simultaneously replied Neji and Sakura, bowing to the Kazekage.

Gaara was not through. "You shall be staying at the Sunagakure Lodge, the nicest quarters in the whole city." he stated. "I have already given the order that, as my guests, you are to stay there without charge."

"Arigato, Kazekage-sama." Again, the kunoichi and shinobi bowed to Gaara. Obviously being dismissed, Neji and Sakura exited the office, with their documents in hand. Returning through the halls and down the flights of stairs, they asked the nervous secretary for directions to the lodge, thanking her sincerely for her assistance.

ZLZLZLZ

When they had reached the lodge, they were led to their rooms immediately after showing the manager their papers and headbands. Indeed, as Gaara had said, the room was gorgeous. Well, it was more than a room... More like a suite. There were two bedrooms, a small lounging room, and a small kitchen. There was a bathroom located near the lounging room. Sakura let out a sigh of relief when she saw their were separate rooms for Neji and herself, because there would have been a bloodbath had they were to share a room, much less a bed.

The guide left as soon as the door to the suite was opened, leaving Sakura and Neji alone. Knowing that unless she'd stay up the whole day, she wouldn't be able to sleep that night, Sakura made her way to the kitchenette, finding a variety of pots, pans, and food supplies.

"Neji," she called after seeing him move towards a room. "Would you like something to eat?" She herself was making a breakfast. She might as well save the food pills that Hinata had given her incase of an emergency, so eating food was the next best thing to get her energy up.

When she didn't hear a reply, she made her way into the room that she saw Neji enter, only to find him sound asleep on the futon in his room. She softly smiled at him, closing the door quietly as she exited, but not before she took the paper that Gaara had given him.

When she was in the lounging room, she grabbed her own paper, and compared it to Neji's, reading the information aloud.

"Haruno Sakura, Age 15, Assigned to Room 7." She paused to look at Neji's paper. "Hyuga Neji, Age 16, Assigned to Room 7." In annoyance, she banged her head against the back of her chair. "Great... Now I get to see Neji all day long!" she exclaimed in a whisper, not wanting to wake the Hyuga up.

_**Okay, now you have to admit you're going to enjoy this!**_ exclaimed Inner Sakura, hoping to slip her outer self up.

'Just shut up!' angrily replied the pink-haired kunoichi, returning to the kitchen to make herself something to eat.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Like I said, this was just somewhat of a filler chapter. The next one should be better, so, please review! I need them! They're like my life's blood! REVIEW!!!!!

Ja ne!

Zutara Lover


	5. First Day of Teaching

A/N: Okay! Here's my next chapter! Hopefully, I'll be able to include the part heynamassu suggested! Well, we'll just have to see how I plan on writing this chapter!

Because of my wacky internet problems, I couldn't check and see who reviewed, so sorry... I'M NOT BEING LAZY THIS TIME!!

Ok, here we go! Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 5: First Day of Teaching...**

After a day of rest and relaxation in their quarters, Neji and Sakura had already started the next day... Hopefully they would make it through alive... For today, they would be starting a mission completely different from anything they'd ever experienced... Today, they'd be teaching a class... TOGETHER, NO LESS!!

After handing in their documents from the Kazekage to the head shinobi of the academy, they were led to their classroom, Room 7, and given a list of names, which belonged to the students sitting in the room.

Ever since a couple years ago, the academy had drastically increased in numbers. Room 7 had about ten kids just by itself! Much better than the starting twenty in the whole school...

After having rest, Neji had finally stopped teasing Sakura, much to her pleasure, and his thoughts were again focused on the mission. That is, until they were interrupted by Sakura's voice...

"Neji, we better open the door... The class is waiting." she muttered, slightly nervous about teaching a whole class.

"Hai." he replied, turning the doorknob. "We should get started."

Upon hearing the knob turn, the students inside the classroom jumped, extremely nervous about their substitute teachers. The academy administrators did not sugarcoat the information regarding the death of their previous teachers. That meant that whomever was going to teach them must be tougher and stronger... And hopefully, they would survive.

As soon as they walked through the door, Neji and Sakura were already examining the classroom. The children had no idea that these were their new teachers.

"Neji, check the room for traps, kudasai." ordered Sakura, looking out for the well-being of the children, as well as themselves. Also, there could be clues inside the room regarding the two shinobi's deaths.

"You won't find anything." mumbled one kid, having already checked the room himself. He voiced this fact to his new teachers.

When the child saw Neji activate his Byakugan, he was shocked, as were the other children in the room. They were struck with terror when he walked up to a corner of the room, and removed an explosive note from the wall. It was concealed from view by an invisibility jutsu.

"Apparently, you didn't look hard enough." lectured Sakura. She took the note from Neji, the invisibility jutsu having dissipated, and showed them the symbol on it. "This is explosive tag had a time limit on it. If you would have been in here, say, another five minutes without discovering it, you would've been reduced to ash, along with this building." Forming her hands into a seal, she placed the tag on a desk. "Kai!" she exclaimed, rendering the tag useless.

Neji now stood beside her, his hands folded over his chest. "You were careless. Of course, one quick sweep of the room with your eyes, you never would have expected that to be there. But, If you would have looked closely, it would've been obvious. A ninja should pay more attention."

"What would you know?" exclaimed the same child who had looked over the room. Apparently he was the ringleader of the class. "You don't look more than six years older than us! I bet you only graduated from your academy three years ago!" This boy was showing only pure ignorance.

"_We_ are about six years older than you! Just look at your Kazekage! He's my age!" growled Sakura. "A lot can happen in six years, kid. Face it, there are kids your age, maybe younger, who have killed before."

The boy said nothing as Sakura continued. "When my team was twelve, we were sent on a mission to the Land of Mist, where we met a young boy named Haku. Already, at such a young age, he had killed. He was our age at the time, and was the right hand man to an assassin known as Zabuza Mamochi."

Neji looked on at the class with cold, calculating eyes. Adding to Sakura's lecture, he said, "If you think that we are going to go easy on you, you're wrong. When _I_ was your age, we were trained to finish the mission. That included _killing_ the enemy. You've had it easy up until here. Starting today, it will get a lot _harder _for you... Trust me."

The children in the room visibly gulped.

"For now," Sakura said, placing a hand on Neji's shoulder. "We need to search the building. There may be more explosive tags hidden in other classrooms."

"Well, what will we do?" the boy asked, not liking the way the new teachers we talking to the class. When he discovered that they were the new teachers, he was extremely close to fainting...

Sakura bent down to his height. "What's your name?" she asked.

He stood at attention. "Mamoru Taiyo! The greatest ninja in the village!" he exclaimed.

'Great...' Sakura thought. 'Another Naruto...' She stood up to her full height, motioning for the other children to rise from their seats. "Well, then, Taiyo, and everyone else, Iku ze! Your first lesson!"she ordered, following Neji closely out of the room.

Not wanting to be left behind, Taiyo, as well as the rest of the class, followed behind, keeping a close watch on their new teachers, and their methods.

After taking a sweep over the whole school, with both Neji's Byakugan, and Sakura's careful observations, it was discovered that a total of nine explosive tags were found in the building, not counting the one that was found in Room 7. All were located in classrooms, and, had they been discovered about an hour later, many of the children, and teachers, would have been obliterated with the building.

The efficiency their new teachers showed in locating the explosive notes astounded Taiyo, and the other nine students in the class. They were required to pay attention as the traps were uncovered, so that they could use the experience in the field of battle. It wasn't a problem, though, for the students were intently wrapped up in the trap finding experience. Though the bursting into random classrooms disturbed some teachers and their lessons, Sakura covered up their intrusion as a lesson, and that the explosive tags were ineffective.

Even though about a half hour of their new class was disrupted, Sakura and Neji were able to file the students back into Room 7, so that they could start a new lesson. Already, they had a number of students who now idolized them, though Taiyo was a little tougher to convince.

"Okay, so you can spot out traps, who cares? How do we know that you're capable of protecting us?" he asked, already pouting because of how he couldn't find a single tag, no matter how obvious it was. "Why don't you show us some of your _real_ skills?" he challenged, succeeding in getting the class' support.

Various shouts of, "Yeah!", "Please?!" and "Come on!" met the two shinobi's ears, and after much discussion with each other, they agreed to postpone the original lesson, in order to meet the children personally, and introduce themselves.

"Okay, Taiyo, since you seem so confident, why don't you go first?" suggested Sakura, smirking as his cocky grin fell from his face. "Start with your name, and perform your best jutsu for us. You may do more than one, if you so choose." she instructed, making room at the front of the class for him.

Many of the other students sniggered and laughed in the background. Taiyo was always getting himself into these kinds of messes.

"F-fine..." he stuttered. "No problem!" Taking his place at the front of the classroom, facing Neji and Sakura, who were standing in front of him with their arms crossed over their chests, he declared, "I am Mamoru Taiyo, and this is my signature jutsu!" After performing a series of hand signs, and shouting out, "Suteki na Suna Suzume no Jutsu!", the sand that had collected in the classroom came together, forming compact blobs that quickly formed into small sand sparrows. With a steady flow of chakra, Taiyo was able to send the sparrows flying into the wall, causing them to create small holes from their beak's collision. Upon impact, they exploded, but because of the extra chakra Taiyo molded around the sand birds, the explosion was contained, and uneffective.

Sakura took note of his chakra control, and slipped a small compliment to him as she was taking her notes about what each student was capable of.

Next, was a small girl, who wore her hair in small pigtails that hung loosely beside her ears. "My name is Uta Hato!" she declared quietly. "My favorite jutsu is the Hana Hanabi no Jutsu." Upon stating her jutsu, she made a couple of hand signs, and placed her palm to the ground. When she lifted it up, there were dozens of flowers forming on the wood floor, which, when they had grown to full size, floated into the air, and burst into a shower of embers. In all honesty, it wasn't necessarily a combat technique, but more of something for parties.

The rest of the students performed their jutsu, some better than others, and finally, it was Neji and Sakura's turn to be put on the spot.

"Now it's your turn!" exclaimed Taiyo, still not knowing what the two ninja's names were.

Sakura sighed, moving in front of the class. Neji knew that she would be performing more than one technique, and was curious to see what they were.

"My name is Haruno Sakura, to you, it's either Haruno-sensei, or Sakura-sensei. I will be showing you multiple techniques this morning, so watch closely." She bit down on her thumb, drawing blood, and shouted, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!", shoving her palm to the ground. On impact, hundreds of tiny symbols surrounded the ground around her hand, and in a cloud of smoke, her summonings appeared. When the smoke cleared, a number of felines stood in place of the symbols. In the smallest to largest order, there was a small kitten, a house cat, a lynx, a bobcat, a caracal, a cheetah, jaguar, leopard, and a white tiger, each with talking abilities.

"Whoa..." gasped Taiyo, surprised that someone of Sakura's stature could have so much chakra and control. Even Neji was surprised. He never knew that Sakura could perform a Kuchiyose no Jutsu, then again, no one knew about his, either.

With a might roar, the white tiger, whose name was Koraseru, padded over to Sakura, nuzzling her affectionately. Koraseru was much larger than an ordinary tiger, about the size of a car, not counting her long tail. She was, by far, the largest cat to wander the ninja lands, besides the two-tails herself. The other cats did the same, and Sakura giggled as their fur brushed against her skin

"It's been awhile, deshi." purred Koraseru, happy to see her subordinate. It had been almost a year since her last summoning, and all of the cats were gladdened to see their 'imoto'.

"Hai." she finally replied, turning her attention to a shocked Neji. Koraseru also looked his way, and trotted over to him.

Neji was terrified. Even though it was Sakura's summon, he had no idea how to react to a tigress making its way over to him. Even so, he did his best to hide his fear, making sure to keep the look on his face passive.

Koraseru circled him intently, not sure of what to make of him. She sniffed at his aura, which was easily visible to a feline's eye, and let out a chuckle, which sounded more like a growl. "Heh..." she sighed, returning to Sakura. "I like him, I think you've made a good choice." she whispered into her disciple's ear, causing her to blush.

Many of the children were shaking in their seats as they watched what was happening. A few of the felines had started to wander around the classroom, and trust me, you'd be shaking too if a jaguar decided to lay down on your desk, and stare intently into your eyes...

Though Neji had no idea of what was being said between Koraseru and Sakura, he chuckled lightly when he saw her blush, his fear forgotten.

"That's enough, Koraseru-sama. I hope to see you soon." dismissed the kunoichi, still red in the face.

Koraseru laughed again. "Same here, Sakura. Sayonara, deshi." she purred, returning to her home in a cloud of smoke, with the other cats following her.

The children were in awe, and Taiyo still had said nothing. Taking a deep breath to collect herself, Sakura said, "Okay, for the rest of class, we will be taking a small field trip outside. I don't want to cause any damage to the classroom..."

Bug-eyed, all the children could do was nod their heads slowly, and rise out of their seats, making their way outside.

Neji and Sakura were the last to leave the classroom, but kept an eye on their new students.

"So, Sakura. When did you learn the Kuchiyose no Jutsu?" inquired Neji, keeping his eyes focused on the kids in front of him.

Sakura put her finger to her chin in thought. "Hm... I'd have to say about a week after Naruto left. I was browsing through Tsunade-shishou's private library, and found that summoning scroll. I think that you're the only one who's ever seen me use it." she pondered, trying to think back on how many times she'd ever used the jutsu.

"I see..." was all he had time to say before they were outside the academy doors. The children were all lined up outside, fearful of Sakura's power...

"Yoshi! My final jutsu that I will perform for you is called Ranshinsho! Taiyo, will you please come here?" she asked, knowing that it wouldn't hurt him, and the effects would wear off in awhile.

At first, he was hesitant, but after many calls from his classmates, telling him to go through with it, he conceded. "H-hai!" He walked over to Sakura's side, and waited.

"This is only temporary, so you should be fine in about an hour, or so." she told him, cracking her knuckles as she allowed a steady flow of chakra run to her hands. She touched one point of his body, and then stopped her flow of chakra, only for a second, and then she smiled. "Alright, now Taiyo, try to move your left arm." she ordered.

"Hai!" he replied confidently. All he had felt when Sakura had touched him was a small shock, but that was it. Trying to prove that the jutsu had no effect on him, he tried to move his left arm, but when his right leg moved instead, he was so shocked, that he lost his balance, and, trying to regain his balance, with the nonexistent help of his arms, his legs continued to move underneath him, finally succeeding in getting him to fall to the ground.

At this, the other children laughed, and even Neji smirked a little. When they finally quieted down, Sakura helped Taiyo to sit down beside his classmates, telling him not to move for awhile.

Now, it was Neji's turn, and with a sigh, he presented himself to the class. "I am Hyuga Neji. Sakura-san was more lenient with you, but I promise you, I won't be. I am to be referred to only as Hyuga-sensei. Is that understood?" he asked, a cold, uncaring look upon his face, which completely scared the class.

"H-Hai!" they shouted, even in their fright.

"Good... Now, for my first jutsu..." he said thoughtfully. He bit his thumb, like Sakura had done earlier, and preformed a quick hand sign, before placing it on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Like earlier, a cloud of smoke appeared in place of the symbols surrounding his hand, and when it cleared, instead of cats, there stood four large birds, each in front of Neji. This time, only the largest one was able to talk.

In order, the birds were a hawk, a raven, an eagle, and the largest of all birds, a great phoenix, about the same size as Koraseru. Humbly, Neji stroked each birds feathers gently, allowing them to remember him.

"Fushicho-sama." greeted Neji, bowing before the regal bird.

In reply Fushicho stated his subordinate's name. "Neji-san." He too bowed low, his long neck reaching close to the ground. When he stood back at his full height, he looked upon Sakura, who was astonished at the size of the bird. When she noticed his gaze upon her, she also bowed, showing respect to one of the world's legendary creatures.

He craned his neck, moving his head so that he could whisper in Neji's ear. "That woman. She is quite lovely, almost like a phoenix, herself. Yet, she belongs to the white tigress, Koraseru... Truly, she is a rare prize... Most worthy of one such as yourself." he stated.

Before Neji could respond to his summon's statement, the great bird had vanished in a cloud of smoke, along with the other birds.

For the second time that day, the children were amazed. Before today, none of them had ever seen a summoning performed, yet, in just the hour alone, they had seen two! It would surely be remembered by them for a long time.

When Neji stood up again, he glanced at Sakura, who was also back on her feet, and then turned to the class. "I did promise another technique, but unlike Sakura's, mine is too strong to use on one of you. That is why I will be demonstrating on Sakura." He looked to her for her approval, and when she nodded, he stood at his stance. "As you can see, she is in the zone of my Hakke Rokujuyon Sho." With a slide of the foot, he began his technique, rapidly attacking Sakura's chakra points as she stood there, holding in each burst of pain as each point closed. Finally, he reached the sixty-fourth hit, and as it connected, she fell to the ground.

With gasps of worry for their teacher, nine out of ten children shouted, "Sakura-sensei!". Taiyo would've shouted it, had he been able to move his mouth. Instead of moving his mouth and tongue, his ears and fingers twitched... The others all rushed to her side, but were stopped by Neji.

"Watch." That was all he said.

In just a few moments after being struck, Sakura slowly picked herself up, still in immense pain, but still able to move. "I think you overdid it, Neji." she said, executing her Shosen Jutsu in order to circulate the flow of chakra back into its normal path.

"Hn." he replied, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. The only one who had been able to shake off his Hakke Rokujuyon Sho since Naruto had been Sakura, for she was able to increase the chakra in her system by at least twice over since the Uchiha left. Now, she was durable, and he was proud, though he'd never say it.

When Sakura had recovered, and stood again at Neji's side, she dismissed the class. "Alright! Class is over for the day, and we expect to see you all here tomorrow. Ja ne!" In a swirl of cherry blossoms and leaves, Neji and Sakura had disappeared, leaving the students to themselves.

'Hey! I still can't move right!' complained Taiyo in his mind, as he still couldn't talk for the time being...

ZLZLZLZ

The day had gone by quickly enough; it was already five 'o clock at night. Not bothering to stop back at the lodge for a meal, the two were admitted into a tavern close by. Here, the drinking age was fifteen and up, as was in Konoha (completely made that up for the sake of this chapter). Sakura had consumed a couple of alcoholic beverages, but her distaste for them made she swear to never buy one again... Neji, however, was a different story...

The stress that had piled up on them had resulted in Neji buying a couple of sakes after his meal. He offered to pay for Sakura's, but she declined, insisting that she didn't need it. Well, the "couple of sakes" ended up being six...Tsunade-sized bottles. (Not Tsunade's height. The amount that she drinks.) Currently, he was singing the coconut song, with a blush on his face...

"I got a lovely bunch of coconuts:hic: diddly diddly. There they are a standin' in a row. :hic: Bumbum bum! Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head:hic:" he sang, hiccuping in-between words. No one knew what kind of drunk Neji was... At times he was a truthful drunk, at other times...he had no idea what he was saying... This time, apparently, was the latter...

Sakura had been watching Neji with round eyes, nagging him after every bottle of sake to stop... But just like Tsunade, he refused to listen to her...

"Sakura-chan!" he slurred, standing up on the table. "I want my coconuts:hic:" Trying to walk on the table, he tripped, and fell face first into...Sakura's chest...

"Neji!" she screamed, trying to push him off of her, while Inner Sakura was shouting, "_**Shannaro! Kick his drunk ass!"**_ She was finally able to get him off of her, but not without obtaining a dark blush on her face. Luckily, the tavern was close to empty by the time this happened...

Neji hiccuped again. "Hehe... You're fat, Shrimp Puff!" he stated, having no idea what he was saying. In his drunken state, he thought it was funny, and started pointing and laughing at Sakura, who was showing extreme self-control.

'Think of the mission! Think of the mission!! THINK OF THE MISSION!!' she screamed in her head. _**'Screw the mission! Shannaro!'**_ replied Inner Sakura, her eyes taking on the form of balls of fire as she raised a fist. "Neji," she started, hoping to get his attention.

":Hic: Yes?" he asked, trying to keep his attention focused.

"We're leaving now..." she stated, rising from the seat, waiting for Neji to follow her.

"But Shrimp Puff! I still need my coconuts!" he whined, also standing from his seat, but staggering a little bit.

"We'll get your coconuts later, Neji. Right now, we need to leave." she reasoned, hoping her plan to keep Neji away from the sake was working.

":Hic: Fine..." he said, defeated. As he tried to follow Sakura, he tripped over his feet again, and the only thing that saved him, was Sakura, who had taken into consideration that he would fall. She caught him by the arms, making it look like Neji was hugging her.

When Neji's hands drifted a little lower, she started to panic... Finally, he reached his target, her butt, and grabbed it, giggling madly. ":Hic: I got you, coconut!" he declared victoriously.

Whatever self-control she had was gone now. Sakura, in a fit of rage and embarrassment, let Inner Sakura take over. She freed one of her hands, and beat Neji over the head, rendering him unconscious, all the while shouting, "Shannaro! Touch my ass again, and you'll be getting it a lot worse!"

Unfortunately, because she knocked him unconscious, he couldn't walk, which gave her the _oh so noble _task of carrying him back to the lodge... Oh joy...

**End Chapter**

A/N: Yes! I got it up! Yeah, incase you were wondering about the "Shrimp Puff" thing, that was my friend, Kelso's idea. We were talking about it at lunch one day, and she gave me the couple of ideas that were in this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!

Yeah, I also decided to give Sakura and Neji a summon. I think that'll add to the story a lot. Really, I'm only going to go into detail about two of the children, Taiyo and Hato, because of writing space. I feel that they'll be their own couple, just because.

Sakura did not use her inhuman strength, though it wasn't for any particular reason. I guess a giant fissure in the ground wouldn't be good for the village, much less in front of a school...

So, hope ya like the chapter, and PLEASE REVIEW!!

Ja ne!

Zutara Lover


	6. No More! Look! It's a MiniSasuke!

A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update, but my internet was out of a _very long_ time. It's like a couple days after someone comes to fix it, it stops working... Hopefully this chapter was worth the long wait.

In answer to someone's review, who I can't credit because of my lousy internet connection, I know it would've been a better idea to use Sakura's strength, but I thought it might be better to bring it up later in the story.

Also, I know it's going to be obvious that Sakura with be the next Slug Queen in the anime, but come on! No offense, but the slugs are so _boring!_ The felines are so much better! In my opinion, anyway...

Well, since I can't credit any reviewers, I guess it's time to start the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 6: No More! Look! It's a Mini-Sasuke!**

It was early the next morning, around 6:30 am. Sakura and Neji were required to report to the Kazekage before their lessons started, and before they could start the report, Gaara had asked about why Neji was looking so woozy...

"So let me get this straight... You went out last night for dinner... and you came back to your quarters_ drunk_..." stressed Gaara, massaging his temples in an irritated manner.

"Gaara-sama... Will you please stop shouting?" asked Neji, who was now suffering from a nasty hangover.

Sakura leaned closer to Neji, and whispered in his ear. "Neji... He wasn't shouting... Why don't you go back to the room and lie down..." she suggested, hoping to spare him from his immense headaches. "I'll give him the report."

"Hai... Arigato..." he said, before stalking out of the room with his head in his hands.

"Gomen, Gaara-sama, but I couldn't let him stay. He needed to go rest." apologized Sakura, hoping that Gaara would understand.

Gaara did understand, surprisingly. He himself had often gone to a bar or pub because his occupation as Kazekage was so stressful. And in all actuality, as long as the report was given by someone of the team, the other member was permitted to be absent for various reasons.

"Now, how was your first day teaching the children?" he inquired, folding his hands neatly on the desk. "I expect all went smoothly."

Sakura shook her head. When she did so, Gaara motioned for her to sit down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Iie... Upon entering the room, we discovered an explosive tag concealed on the wall. Upon further inspection of the academy, we found multiple others. We covered up the search as a lesson for the students." she informed, taking a seat in the chair Gaara motioned to.

Gaara thought for a moment. If the murderer had anything to do with it, they were targeting the

youth of the village... But why go after the teachers? The children are the village's future, so that makes more sense, but how could it be that easy? Was it even the same person who killed the teachers? So many questions... Finally, he spoke.

"Good... Well, as good as the situation could be. We don't need panic spread throughout Suna. That alone could destroy us. There is no clear motivation to these attacks, but the one thing that is obvious is that whoever this person or people are, they want to take out Sunagakure, or at least take control of it..." He paused, trying to think of a plan. "Sakura, when you return to the classroom, I want you and Neji to make sure the area is secure. After your session is over, I want you to make sure that every child reaches their homes safely. That would require Kage Bunshin. Afterwards, report to my office for further instruction. You are dismissed."

"Hai." Sakura nodded her head and bowed, exiting the office to return to their lodgings. They still had about a half-hour until they had to be at the academy, so she thought she'd stop by the suite and check up on Neji. When he was rid of his hangover, she'd question him about last night...

When she exited the doors of the front of the building, Sakura took off towards the lodge at full speed, hoping to make a quick breakfast for herself and Neji. It didn't take long. Within minutes, she was opening the door to their room, and walking into Neji's room to check up on him.

The poor guy had appeared to have fallen asleep again, this time using an ice pack to relieve his headache. Seeing him in that state made Sakura think back to the night before, and that made her blush.

"Where the Hell did he come up with 'Shrimp Puff'?" she asked herself. "And the thing with the coconuts... What was that about?" She said this all in a whisper, hoping to not disturb him.

"I have no idea..." came the unwanted reply, scaring Sakura out of her skin.

"I thought you were asleep!" she almost yelled at him, before remembering his hangover.

Neji smirked slightly. "Iie... Just resting my eyes..." He sat up, removing the ice pack. Sakura took it and ran to put it in the sink, before returning to Neji. "So, what did Gaara-san say?" he asked, wincing as the cephalalgia came back.

Sakura sighed, forming a hand sign. "Shosen Jutsu." she mumbled, concentrating chakra into her palm and placing it on his forehead, where his wraps that concealed his mark were.

Neji sighed in relief. "Ah... Arigato..." he whispered, feeling the pain recede. "Now, about the report?"

The kunoichi nodded, still helping the man in front of her with his headache. "Gaara-san has ordered us to secretly follow our students home, and make sure that they're safe. That, of course, would require Kage Bunshin. Afterwards, he wants us at his office for further instruction." she relayed.

"So, I take it that you told him about the explosive notes?" he inquired, standing up from the bed so that he could go into the kitchen for a glass of water.

Sakura followed him, answering, "Hai. I explained to him that we covered it as a lesson. He wants no one else to know of it." She knew that Neji understood when he nodded, grabbing a cup out of a cabinet.

He turned the knob on the sink in order to make the water flow, and when his cup was full, he started sipping at it, making his way to the couch in the sitting room. He sat down, and rested his head against the back cushion, looking up at the ceiling, and just thinking for a short while. Finally, he asked, "So, why didn't you show off your strength to the students? It would've been more intimidating than Ranshinsho."

Sakura shrugged. "I guess I didn't want to scare them too badly. I mean, I'm the good cop in this. You're the one who likes to play bad cop. Besides... How much more stress does Gaara-san need? I mean, who would want to spend all his money on repairing a fault caused be one ninja?"

Neji completely ignored her last sentence. "What do you mean, 'bad cop'? You're just as strict as I am." He set his glass of water on the coffee table in front of the couch. "And on the matter of scaring them; why summon a bunch of carnivores if you didn't want to scare them?"

"Oh, and you're any better?" she shot back, almost laughing. "'I am to be referred to only as Hyuga-sensei. Is that understood?' I think you scared them more than I did! And all you did was look at them!"

"Well, many people are intimidated by me..."

"Name five... Other than the students, I mean..."

"Well, there's Yamanaka...Akimichi...Uzumaki for awhile...Hinata-sama..." he paused for a second... "And I also seem to recall that you used to be." he added with a smirk.

Now with a small blush on her face, Sakura spat out, "I dare you to name ten, then...", but she couldn't keep a straight face for very long before she broke out into a fit of laughter.

Neji only stared at her, and had to hold in his own small chuckle. He still had another question for her. "Anyway... How did you get into Shinobi Soccer? Isn't that a little extreme?"

Sakura only smiled at him, stopping her fit of laughter. "Well, Tsunade-shishou would never send me on missions, and all I could do was paperwork. I needed a little extremity in my life. Plus, it gives me a chance to see everyone."

He nodded in understanding. Though he'd probably never join a Shinobi Soccer Team, he had a growing respect for the players. "Maybe next time you have a game, I'll attend." he pondered, noticing Sakura tense up a little. It was obvious that she was nervous being around him.

"Sure..." she replied, fixating her eyes on the wall. Abruptly, her eyes looked into his as she demanded, "As long as you don't make a repeat of last night! I don't want anymore grabbing my ass, calling me fat, or calling me 'Shrimp Puff'!", making him jump slightly at her sudden outburst.

"Fine..." he mumbled. 'I came up with a new name for you anyway..._ Pinkie...'_ he thought to himself, smirking on the inside. And it wasn't like he'd do those other things if he was in his right state of mind anyway...

Sakura patted her knees before standing up and glancing at the clock. "Chikuso... We have to be at the academy in five minutes... We'd better go."

Neji nodded in agreement, and walked over to return his cup to the kitchen. He and Sakura quickly made their way to the door, and out of the lodge, before transporting themselves to the front doors of the academy.

Upon arrival, Neji activated his Byakugan, in order to scan the area for any more explosive tags, and/or traps. When he saw none, he turned to Sakura and voiced his findings. "It appears as if this shinobi hasn't returned. Still, we must keep a close watch on the children, and find out what their motivation is."

Sakura nodded in agreement. So far, it was as if there was no murderer, because if their was, wouldn't they have revealed themselves? At least give them any clues just to spite them? It was all so confusing. 'Shikamaru is more cut out for this sort of thing...' thought the pink-haired medic. She said nothing to Neji, but he could read her face like a book, and he saw doubt in her eyes.

"Sakura, do not doubt yourself," he told her. "Like I told you a few days ago; you are perfectly capable of completing this mission. Tsunade-sama wouldn't have assigned you to it if she did not have complete confidence in your abilities." Though he was not used to comforting others, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and immediately he could feel her relax under his grip.

Sakura smiled softly. "Hai... Arigato, Neji." As soon as the words left her lips, the children filed into the classroom, some faster than others. It took a few minutes for all of the students to find their seats. When the first student had entered the classroom, Sakura exchanged the previous look on her face to one of pure impassiveness.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, burui." greeted Sakura, making her way towards the chalkboard behind her.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-sensei, Hyuga-sensei." repeated the students, some more enthusiastic than others.

Taiyo was eager to begin the day. Though the day before he had been left at the school and unable to move his limbs because of his new teacher, he couldn't wait to see what they had to teach him. 'Maybe I'll get to learn Hyuga-sensei's technique. That was so cool!' he exclaimed in his mind. "Hyuga-sensei! Sakura-sensei! What's today's lesson?" he inquired, obviously excited.

Sakura allowed a soft smile to grace her face. 'Well, at least he's eager to learn_ in_ the academy. Naruto hated all of the lessons Iruka-sensei taught.' She grabbed a piece of chalk from the small basket next to the chalkboard, and began to write the lesson up on the blackboard. "I'm glad you asked, Taiyo," she told him. "Today, we will be teaching you about emotion."

Taiyo had been expecting to learn about some awesome new technique, so when he heard the word, "emotion", his eagerness faded away. "Why emotion? We already know about that sort of thing! We know that emotion is a ninja's weakness!" he declared.

Neji and Sakura both had raised an eyebrow. "Really?" clarified Sakura. "Well then, you must know that's a bunch of crap?" Taiyo's clueless look told her that was not the case. "No? Well, then I guess this lesson will be crucial for you all."

A child in the back of the room scoffed. "This will only be a waste of time." he muttered. "Emotion is a ninja's weakness. End of story."

"Churitsu, have you any idea what you're saying?" inquired Neji, glaring at the child.

"I really don't care..." Churitsu shot back, causing Neji to become angry.

Taiyo just sat there, staring at his classmate. 'What's wrong with Churitsu? He's never acted like this before...' he thought.

Sakura stepped in before Neji could retaliate. "Enough. We _will_ begin the lesson," she declared, glaring hard at both of them. Though she wouldn't admit it, Churitsu had reminded her of Sasuke; he shared that same biting quality of detachment. That would be something that would have to be fixed.

Neji reluctantly made his way back to Sakura's side as she backed away from the blackboard.

"Now, emotion is a very important element in the life of a ninja," she started. "Too much emotion will cause an incapability to think things through, but saying that emotion is a ninja's weakness couldn't be farther from the truth." Sakura was again reminded of Sasuke. This lesson was an important tool in deterring these children into becoming like the Uchiha.

Neji took over from where Sakura stopped. "Emotion is key. It establishes what you hold most dear, and makes you want to protect it. That is a ninja's true strength; the will to protect what you love. Once you discover this, you will gain true power.

"But, I will critique Sakura-sensei's approach. Though it is untrue that emotion is weakness, it is not entirely false. When your opponent knows your emotions, you are at a disadvantage. But, if you know your opponents emotions, you have the advantage. Emotions are easily manipulated.

"Emotion is something that you feel, and it is often hard to mask. Therefor, your first training exercise will be to mask your emotions." Neji concluded, looking at each child with his arms crossed over his torso.

Sakura pulled out a box from behind the teachers' desk. "Also, on a slip of paper, I want you all to write down what's most precious to you. Apply this lesson when you graduate from the academy, and think back to what you wrote down."

Each child took out a piece of paper from their desk and began to think about what they were going to write down. Well, except for Churitsu... He just rested his head on his folded hands, and watched everyone else complete the assignment.

"Churitsu, isn't there something that you hold dear?" asked Sakura, paying close attention to the young boy's attitude.

"No." he replied, staring down at her cooly.

Sakura didn't reply. She only stared back at him until Neji started the training exercise.

"I want you all to pair up with someone. Your partner will do their best to mask their emotions, but the eyes are what you need to watch. More often than not, they will betray you." warned Neji, watching all of the students grasp his words.

"But, first you have to find an emotion to express for your partner, otherwise, the exercise is pointless. All of you must be feeling something, so amplify your feelings with thoughts that will strengthen it. If you're happy, think of things that _make_ you happy. If you're angry, think of things that _makes_ you angry." added Sakura, staring specifically at Churitsu.

"Exactly. Now, iku ze!"ordered the Hyuga, watching as the kids did as they were ordered.

Sakura watched with slight pity as poor Hato tried to get a partner, but her shyness made it so that before she could ask anyone, someone else had already asked them, and she was alone.

Churitsu was in the same predicament, but instead of being too shy, he just didn't care.

Sakura and Neji saw this, and with just one look at each other, they reached a silent agreement. "I'll take Hato if you'll work with Churitsu." offered Sakura, sighing as she made her way to the shy child. Neji also sighed, and looked up at Churitsu, before making his own way over to him.

Hato was gloomily staring down at her desk. She had wanted to be paired up with Taiyo, but he had already managed to find a partner... And then, everyone else had already found someone... The only one left was Churitsu, but he was so intimidating that she couldn't even go near him. Now, she was sitting alone.

Sakura came up behind her and gently tapped on her shoulder, making the poor girl jump. "Hato, are you unable to find someone?" she asked kindly, smiling at her student.

"H-Hai, Sakura-sensei..." she stuttered, looking ashamed of herself.

"You know, Hato, the only other child left is Churitsu." she informed, watching the young girl.

"H-Hai, Sakura-sensei, b-but..."

"Hato, relax. I wasn't going to make you partner up with him. I don't think anyone can get him to open up... That's why I made Hyuga-sensei take care of it..." she consoled, watching relief spread over Hato's face. "But you do need a partner, so I will work with you."

Little Hato looked up at Sakura, smiling softly. "A-Arigato, Sakura-sensei."

Neji, on the other hand, was having slight difficulty in getting Churitsu to cooperate. "Churitsu, you _will_ participate in this lesson!" he demanded, fuming over the young genin.

"And if I don't?" he cooly shot back, enjoying the fit of rage he was putting Neji through.

Immediately, when Neji found out of Churitsu's plan, he stopped his demands, and bestowed upon himself an impassive face. "Fine... If you want to do this the hard way..." The chuunin smirked, and watched as Churitsu's expression faltered...

**-About 5 Hours Later...-**

Though many students were having trouble grasping the technique of hiding emotions, the lesson seemed to be a success.

Hato and Sakura were doing well; Hato was gradually learning how to hide what she was feeling, but she still had to work at it. Sakura was proud of the young girl, who was a very quick learner as this non-chakra consuming technique, and was about to voice her praise, when she heard Neji yelling from the other side of the room...

"Show some emotion!" he ordered, having still not gotten through the first step of the assignment with Churitsu.

"No..."

"Show some emotion!" he ordered again, this time adding a slap.

Though it stung, Churitsu still replied, "No..."

"Show some emotion!" again he demanded, now picking up the poor boy by the front of his shirt.

"No..."

Another smack-like sound was heard, and this time Churitsu went flying across the room and against a wall. Now he couldn't take it anymore... Churitsu had snapped and...started to cry...

Sakura immediately rushed to the boy's side, with Hato at her heels. (Hato is going to be like Kisa from Fruits Basket; the little follower of Sakura.) "Shosen Jutsu!" she whispered, allowing the chakra to heal the bruises from Churitsu's body.

She turned at glared at Neji. "Neji! How could you do that to a child!?" she exclaimed, purely astounded.

Neji just stood there, wide-eyed. He didn't think he had hit the kid that hard... In fact, he didn't think he had even hit the kid that time...

Many of the other children, including Taiyo, crowded around Sakura and Churitsu, intrigued by Sakura's medic skills, and astounded that Neji would do something like that.

Giving Neji one last hard glare, Sakura turned to the group of children. "Alright, burui. You are dismissed." she told them, staying by Churitsu's side as the students filed out of the classroom. Hato was the last to leave, and she shyly looked back at the three left in the room, sending a slightly fearful look Neji's way.

With help from Sakura, Churitsu was able to stand up, and after she questioned if he was alright, he started making his way towards the door.

Sakura turned to Neji again after Churitsu had disappeared behind the wall. "I hope you're satisfied with yourself, Neji. How could you do that to a child?" she asked again.

Churitsu hadn't gone more than two feet away from the door, which Neji could tell even without his Byakugan activated. Churitsu had stopped as soon as he heard Sakura yell at Neji, and when he finally started walking again, he was smirking...

**End Chapter**

A/N: So? How was it? Was it worth the wait? I hope it was. So, yeah, Churitsu. Again, my friend Kelso gave me the idea to add a mini-Sasuke to the story. It was intended to be humorous, but it seemed more abusive to me...

But, what's Churitsu's part in the story? You'll just have to keep reading to find out... Yeah, I know, I'm evil...

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Ja ne!

-Zutara Lover


	7. Is the Truth Better Known, or Not?

A/N: Yay! 8 reviews for my last chapter! That makes me feel loved...;) Really!

Anyway, if you haven't already noticed, I changed my Pen Name. If you want a more detailed explanation as to why, check my profile. It should be the first paragraph.

I've also just started high school... Yes, I know, I'm a stupid Freshmen... Oh well... I'm going to try as hard as I can to update for you guys! It might take a little longer, but please be patient!

So, I'm going to thank my reviewers now!

-nejisakura : Yes, it wasn't Neji who was smirking, but Churitsu. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear. In fact, I went back and edited it.

-al2010 :Why thank you very much!:D

-Friesenator : Hehe, nice... I agree, you truly are evil! JK! XD

-Anime Luver7895: Your request is granted! Here is your reward for reviewing!

-FakeCompassion: "Little Sasuke Wannabe", you have no idea...

-KenSan1990 : Yes, Kelso's humor is quite obvious, isn't it? And, you are in fact correct with your assumptions, but, do you wish to know the **fine** details?

-stream of tears : (sobbing with joy) Oh thank you! That makes me feel so wonderful! (Gives you a virtual hug)

-tonnara : Wow, I can't believe it, but I CAN SEE IT TOO!! OMG!! I told one of my friends about your review, and she's like, "I want to get some emo friends!" Yeah, so thanks for reviewing!

Now, on with the chapter!!

**Chapter 7: Is the Truth Better Known, or Not?**

Through some event or another, Neji was stuck trailing Churitsu home after the class ended. It wasn't his clone that was sent to follow him, oh no, it was the real him. It was just something about that kid; he was so suspicious... What with smirking after he had heard Sakura yelling at his sensei... Just something...

Sakura had her clones trail after some of her students, including Taiyo, but followed Hato home, just incase. The young girl was so frail looking, and if she were to be attacked, she probably would spend less of a chance of survival whereas Taiyo would probably be able to get away.

Surprisingly, each child was able to make it to their homes safely, and Sakura and Neji were able to go undetected throughout the entire time, occasionally glancing into windows to make sure that their families were in the homes.

Sakura had finished first, and was already on her way to the Kazekage's office, but Neji was still following Churitsu, who had just entered his own home.

'There was definitely something strange about that boy. I **know** that I did not hit him that last time...' he thought to himself, masking his chakra signature and using his Byakugan to see into the house. 'In fact, I don't think I even intended to hit him at all...'

From what he could see inside the home, he was able to see three bodies sprawled out on the floor, and their chakra was very faint. There was also some sort of liquid pooling out around them. He saw Churitsu standing over them, and, once the boy was sure that no one was watching him, he formed a hand sign, and was enveloped by a cloud of smoke.

When the smoke dissipated, and taller figure stood in his place.

"Uchiha..." whispered Neji venomously. He had always hated the Uchiha, as he was taught to by his own clan. The Uchiha and Hyuga were long time rivals, but after the last remaining members betrayed the village, his contempt for them only grew stronger.

But that was not important. Neji soon realized that the liquid was blood, and upon closer inspection of the bodies, he could tell that one of them was the real Churitsu. And, by the fading of their chakra systems, it was easy to tell that they were already dead...

"This must be reported to Kazekage-sama! I **knew **there was something wrong with that child!"

**-With Sakura-**

"Gaara-san, each child under my supervision was able to make it home safely." reported the medic.

"Hai, hai, that's very good, but we have a more urgent matter on our hands now. I have just been informed that the Kenryoku family was found dead in their home this afternoon." stated Gaara, clearly frustrated.

"D-demo, Gaara-san, how is that possible? That is Churitsu's family, isn't it? He was with us in class today! How can he be dead?!" she practically shouted at him, obviously shocked.

This was obviously news to Gaara. His eyes widened considerably. "That's not possible! Our investigation of the home and the bodies show that they've been dead since at least last evening! For Churitsu to be alive–" He paused as a sudden realization came over him. "Chikuso!" The Kazekage grabbed a small microphone on the neck of his shirt and shouted into it, "I want all squads set immediately at the Kenryoku residence! It appears we have an imposter..."

Almost seconds after to sent the order, Neji came bursting through the door. "Gaara-sama! Churitsu and his family are dead! And there was an imposter of the boy in the school!" he hurriedly informed.

Sakura looked like she was almost ready to cry, but held it in. "N-Neji, we already know..." she mumbled, looking down at the floor.

Neji looked at her pityingly. "Sakura, I'm not sure if you know or want to hear this, but I know who the imposter is..." He sighed when both Gaara and Sakura looked at him questioningly. "I saw him in the home, standing over the bodies just now. It's–"

"Me..." came a voice from the door, cold yet almost as smooth as silk. The man walked into the room, his blood red Sharingan watching for any movement from the opposing three ninja.

Sakura gasped, now unable to contain the tears. "Sa-Sasuke-kun..."

Gaara was enraged. "You!" The sand that had collected from outside rattled violently, compiling into a long whisp of the gritty substance.

"Tsk, tsk, Gaara-san, you wouldn't want to endanger anyone else, now would you?" threatened the Uchiha, coming closer to Sakura, and holding her by the arms, ready to use her as a shield.

Like he had expected, Gaara had no choice but to cease his sand's movement, and glare maliciously at the Sharingan wielder.

"Hehe, who would've thought that a monster like you would rather keep this little sakura safe, than see her perish?" he pondered, striking yet another nerve in Gaara.

"As I recall, a 'monster' like me was able to defeat you..." he all but growled in return.

Sakura shivered at his tone, both Sasuke's and Gaara's. And with Sasuke still holding her arms in his tight grip, it was useless to go against him. Her skin crawled under his touch, whereas when she was twelve, she craved for the contact of his skin touching her's.

"Ah, but now, I'm more powerful than before. And Sakura," he hissed into her ear. "You are wise to fear me... After all, I did originally murder the two jonin you came to replace..."

He turned to Neji, who glared hardly at him. If looks could kill, the Uchiha clan would be wiped out...

"Hai. I was impersonating the boy for the past couple of days. I wanted to see what you all have learned, and today, when you 'punished' me for not going through with the lesson, you looked into my eyes. I was able to use my hypnotic eye, which I learned how to control through training with Orochimaru, to make you hit me that first time. The second time, all I did was propel myself to the wall." He paused, returning his attention to Sakura. "And in doing that, it was shattering the trust and respect that Sakura had held for you. Unfortunately, I was discovered before the full effect of this could take place... That would have left Sakura to herself, and I'd be able to get her to come running back to me without much trouble upon our next encounter..."

Neji had had enough of hearing the damn traitor's voice. Withdrawing a kunai from his weapon pouch, he pounced, in order to stab it into the Uchiha's back.

Sasuke let out a groan. "Hehe, I will return to collect what is mine..." he murmured, before he turned into a cloud of smoke.

"Che... Shadow Clone... The real one's probably long gone by now,"cursed Neji.

Sakura still stood paralyzed where she was, unable to move, or think about anything other than Sasuke. Her arms were already beginning to bruise from how tightly he had held them, and if Neji hadn't stabbed him, she had no idea of what would've happened to her, or anyone else in the room.

"I advise you both to return to your rooms. Keep everything locked, and set up extra precautions incase he intends to return. I'll petrol Suna and make sure nothing else like this happens. As of tomorrow, the children and their families are your first priority. If the children ask about the boy," he paused momentarily, finding remorse in the boy's death. "Tell them the truth. They will surely find out about it otherwise..."

"Th-That is understood..." mumbled Sakura.

"Good... Dismissed."

Without another word, the two shinobi made their way out of his office, and out into the dusty streets of Suna. Neji walked silently in front of Sakura, occasionally glancing back at her to make sure that she was still following him. Every time he'd look back, he'd see her looking at the ground.

Nothing was said between the two until they returned to their quarters. Once the door was closed, Sakura made her way to the couch, collapsing on it.

Neji stared at her for a few minutes, before deciding to grab something from the kitchen. It wasn't very late. The sun was still up, though dusk would be arriving in only a couple of hours.

He himself was thinking over what had happened today. How was it that he hadn't seen through the transformation that Sasuke had placed over himself? How did he master his hypnotic eye? And, why in the hell would he tell them what he was capable of, and what he was planning?!

"He's too cocky for his own good..." he mumbled to himself, thinking out loud.

Sakura's head snapped up at the sound of his voice. "N-Nani?" she asked quietly.

Neji's eyes connected with hers. "Oh, gomen... Just thinking out loud. But I was referring to the Uchiha. Why would he tell us his plan?"

Sakura answered back almost trance-like. "He thinks that he cannot be stopped. In fact, he probably knows it..."

"Hn... Do not think so negatively. We have what he wants, and we must protect it at all costs," he declared, still looking at her.

"Demo... What is it that we have?" she inquired softly, averting her eyes. "I am not so conceited as to actually think that it's me. All he wants is an heir, and surely he can find someone to replace me, so what is it that he actually wants?"

"Who knows? Possibly, it could be the techniques that he's after. He did say he was observing what we had learned. Your summoning scroll is very rare and valuable, as is mine. And more often than not, a child whose parents have a contract with a summon is able to call them forth more easily than others in their age group. And your medic skills aren't to be taken lightly, either." he recited.

"Ja, you may be right... But still, he could find someone who has the exact capabilities elsewhere..." she denied, still unsure.

"Sakura, it is you that he wants, and if it comes down to it, I will put my life on the line to protect yours. Now, let us do what Gaara-san advised, and set up those traps," he stated, moving from the kitchen empty handed.

"Hai..." What Neji had said had shocked her more than Sasuke ever had. 'He's willing to sacrifice himself for me? This man I barely know is willing to do that? I mean sure, we've gone on a couple of missions together, but still!'

An hour went by, posting alarm tags, paralyzation traps, etc. and yet, the two still felt that they were inadequately protected. If they truly were dealing with Sasuke Uchiha, then there was no way that this would stop him. Then again, if they were alerted of his presence, they'd either be able to escape, or flee, before they were seriously harmed...

"That should do it..." muttered Neji, placing a wrack of kunai that shot from their slots when the door, or windows opened. "All we have to do is duck to the left, and reset the kunai trap when we enter the suite, but unless Uchiha saw us setting these up, he wouldn't know that..."

Sakura was speechless for a moment. Finally, after a minute of silence, she spoke up. "Neji, gomen... I should've known that you'd never do that to a child. Gomen, I shouldn't have blamed you..." she apologized, casting a genjutsu over her room, which would activate if someone other than her entered.

"Doutashimashite, Sakura. It's fine. You reacted when you saw that the 'child' was hurt, and immediately found the source. You were only doing your job," he replied, somewhat surprised that Sakura apologized to him. But still, it made him slightly relieved that she felt sorry enough to apologize in the first place. And, it also meant that she forgave him for behaving in that manner.

"Iie, Neji, it's not fine... Like Sasuke said, if he wasn't caught before his plan was put into full effect, I would've only been a matter of time before I would be unable to trust you...How badly would that have turned out?" she asked, unable to get over what could have been.

"Sakura, don't worry. Nothing has happened, and it is just destiny if something does. Everything happens for a reason, and there is nothing we can do about it. We form our fate from the choices we make, and look where that's gotten us," he explained, trying to help his comrade. "If it comes down to it, we will be more than a match for the Uchiha. Even if he can summon Orochimaru's beast, Fushicho-sama and Koraseru-sama, as well as our nin-neko and nin-tori, will be able to assist us. They do have their own abilities that rival the Sannin summons."

Sakura was silent yet again. Finally, "H-Hai... Arigato...", and by the way she said it, he could tell she was tired.

"Not a problem. Well, that's one part of the mission we no longer have. He admitted to killing the two jonin, so now, all we have to focus on are the students left at the academy."he added, getting a nod of agreement out of the pink-haired ninja.

"Hn..."she replied in her sleep.

He had just sat down on the couch next to her, finding her asleep. He stood up, running into his room and grabbing a spare blanket that was folded neatly on his bed. Holding true to his promise to protect her, he unfolded the blanket over Sakura, and lied beside her, finally finding that he himself was exhausted, and falling asleep shortly afterwards...

**-Back in Konoha with Tsunade-**

"So, Tsunade-sama, why exactly did you send Neji and Sakura together on the mission? Surely there were pairs equally as powerful and efficient,"remarked Shizune, plopping another heaping pile of paperwork on the Godaime's desk, causing said blond to groan...

"If I tell you, will you fetch me a bottle of sake without complaint for me to do this paperwork?" inquired the Slug Queen, glaring hard at her assistant.

Shizune weighed her options, and found that one bottle of sake couldn't hurt, and also that she really wanted to know Tsunade's intentions... "Hai..."

Tsunade instantly perked up at the promise of her beloved sake, and exclaimed, "Yoshi! Ja, Shizune, you know how another person's love affair is the best pastime for a bored lady, right?" A sly grin appeared on the Sannin's face, and she also gave Shizune a suggestive wink.

Shizune immediately got the hint, screaming, "NANI?!" at her master, while pointing accusingly. "I thought you quit doing that after things fell out between Choji and Ten Ten!"

Tsunade was obviously still touchy about that subject, since there was an awfully large vein throbbing on her forehead. "And I thought we agreed to never speak of that again... Nonetheless, how can you expect me not to meddle in the affairs of my surrogate daughter? That's like asking Akimichi Choji not to eat... Again, NEVER bring that up!" she ordered, practically having balls of fire in her eyes.

In fear, Shizune stuttered out, "H-Hai, Tsunade-sama!"

"Besides... They're a cute couple, ne? Sakura needs someone like Hyuga. That aside, FETCH ME THAT SAKE!!" screeched the light-haired medic nin.

"H-Hai!" And with that, Shizune ran as fast as she could to the nearest pub, and bought the promised bottle of sake, hoping that Tsunade wouldn't bite her head off when she returned...

**End Chapter**

A/N: So, that the end of this chapter. I thought that I'd bring Tsunade and Shizune back in for a little bit. Oh, and the line, "Another person's love affair is the best pastime for a bored lady." is from an awesome anime called "Scrapped Princess". It is great! The main character's brother, Shannon (Yeah, I know...), is so much like Shikamaru in the "troublesome attitude" thing, it's almost scary! Check it out if you have the time! KenSan1990, I don't want to hear it... I know, and I'll return the DVD to you! I know you got me addicted to it!

Anyway, so I'm now in high school, so be nice if I don't update as soon as I usually do. I'll get to it... Eventually...

Review, kudasai!

Ja ne!

-Umi no Kaiso


	8. Are We Truly Safe Here?

A/N: Okay! I'm very happy with all of the reviews I got from the last chapter! 14! That's pretty amazing for me! Just because of the limited time on the computer, I won't be crediting anyone who reviewed last chapter, but I still thank you all sincerely for reviewing! I'm so happy that you liked the last chapter, while I personally thought that I was pushing by having Sasuke just come out an reveal his plan... Or, was that really his _entire _plan? Hm...

Well, please enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 8: Are We Truly Safe Here?**

The faint sound of an alarm from one of the clocks in the suite could be heard in the early hours of the morning. From their spot on the couch, it would've been hard to hear, but, being shinobi, they picked up on it quickly, and awoke with a start.

Sakura was the first to notice the alarm and gather her surroundings; she was lying on the couch, apparently where she had fallen asleep the night before. Neji's arms was draped around her waist protectively. Over both of them, a blanket was wrapped comfortably.

Though her mouth was dry from lack of use in the last few hours, Sakura was able to quietly whisper Neji's name, hoping to stir him. When that didn't work, and the alarm was still blaring in one of the rooms, Neji woke up by himself, and, realizing what position the two were in, and the displeased look on Sakura's face, quickly removed his arm from Sakura's middle.

"Ohayo, Neji," tiredly greeted Sakura, refusing to bring up their sleeping arrangements.

"Ohayo, Sakura," replied Neji, his lips held together in a tight line.

Neither moved for a few moments. However, the alarm, refusing to stop its infernal beeping, was still on, and yet, none of them seemed to be willing to go turn the damn thing off, or at least pound it into oblivion with something heavy...

Finally, after not being able to take the repeated _**BLEEPBLEEPBLEEPBLEEPBLEEP**_ any longer, Sakura removed herself from the couch, and went to find the source of the noise...

Her short journey took her into her room, but the sound wasn't coming from there. So, she wandered into Neji's room. Said Hyuga was watching her with slight interest.

"Sakura," he called out good-naturedly. "If you smash it, we'll hear about it from Gaara-sama for sure."

By the sound of an irritated groan coming from his room, he could tell that she was just about to murder the alarm clock with her inhuman strength. A small _click_ could be heard after her groan, and the beeping stopped. Obviously, she turned off the alarm clock.

From the room, she called out, "It's 6:00. We should be getting ready for our meeting with Gaara. We have to be there in a half hour."

Neji nodded as Sakura came walking out of his bedroom, running her fingers through her ruffled hair.

"Do you want to get the shower first?" she offered. "I'll make a quick breakfast for you while you're in there before I grab mine."

Neji hesitated for a moment before finally nodding, taking Sakura up on her offer. He nodded slightly, making his way into the only bathroom in the suite. Soon after he disappeared into the bathroom, the sound of a faucet turning, soon followed by running water, met Sakura's ears.

She let out a sigh, before walking over to the kitchen. She was becoming homesick, and the fact that she had just had an encounter the night before with Sasuke, her childhood crush, only made things worse. She felt scared, that no one could protect her. If only she were back in Konoha, surrounded by all of her friends...

She began opening up every cupboard in the small kitchen in the hopes of finding ingredients to make something edible. In one of the last ones she opened up, she found a box of pancake mix, and in another, she found a pan.

Preheating the stove top, Sakura began mixing the powdery substance with water, and, when it was fully mixed together, she spooned out a few globs of the slightly doughy matter, and put them all in the now scalding pan.

Every few seconds, she'd use a spatula provided in the kitchen to flip the pancakes, until they were cooked to her satisfaction.

Just as she was finishing up, putting a couple of the pancakes on one of two separate plates, Neji came out of the bathroom, covered in only a towel. As tempting as it was, Sakura did not look up, instead busying herself with putting the pancakes on the coffee table.

Now that Neji was out of the shower, and the pancakes were set and ready to eat, Sakura ran into her bedroom, grabbed another pair of clothes to change into, and then went into the shower herself, hoping that the hot water would wash away all of the stress and fears that had piled up on her during the few days that they had been in Suna.

**-Just Over 15 Minutes Later in Gaara's Office-**

Gaara sat at his desk, trying to come up with a possible solution to a growing problem; protection for the youth of Suna. It was an exceedingly hard decision to make, for he knew that there was no way that the students at the academy we going to be safe here. Suna still hadn't fully recovered in numbers since the attack on Konoha over four years ago... Then again, Suna never really had been a populous village...

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Taking out a piece of parchment from one of the drawers in his desk, as well as quill pen, Gaara began to write down his request of Konoha.

Just as he had started to write, a knock came from his door.

"Come in," he mumbled, barely audible to the people outside the door.

Nonetheless, the door opened quietly, and Neji and Sakura entered his office, closing the door behind them.

"Gaara-sama, we're reporting in. What are your orders?"inquired Neji, Sakura standing directly beside him.

Gaara's brow furrowed in frustration. He wouldn't allow himself to reveal his thoughts until he had received Tsunade's agreement. Why bother to trouble them with his plan now?

"Gaara-kun, what is that?" asked Sakura, referring to the note that he was writing.

Gaara looked up to meet Sakura's gaze. _'There's no avoiding it. I must lie for now.'_

"Gaara-kun?"repeated Sakura, hoping that the Kazekage would at least answer her.

"I'm sending information about last night's occurrences to Tsunade-sama,"he replied. Well, it wasn't a total lie. "She needs to know that she must be on the look out for Uchiha..."

Sakura was silent, and made no other indication that she heard Gaara other than a curt nod.

Neji, sensing Sakura's tension, stepped in, asking, "What is it that you wish us to do with the children? I know that you wished us to tell them of what happened, but isn't there something else we can do for them? Surely they will not take the news very well..."

Gaara sighed, massaging his temples. That was one thing he had not thought of; the children were not like him. Though he found remorse in the deaths of others, it never affected him emotionally, at least not very much. The children would most likely suffer from some sort of depression, not having yet learned that sometimes sacrifices must be made to keep the village safe.

"If they are persistent," he finally answered. "Tell them what happened. If not, make up an excuse. If they already know, there is nothing that can be done."

Neji nodded in agreement. The situation was totally unavoidable. The children in the academy had known Churitsu for some time, and without any type of warning, he's found dead in his home with an imposter taking his place in the academy. Of all things, they deserved to know the truth.

Another thought came into mind when the children were brought up; how were they going to be able to protect all of them? In the academy alone, there were at least ninety kids. That would serve as a problem... With that many children to protect, his plan would be almost impossible... Unless...

"Gaara-kun?" Sakura's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Gaara hesitated before answering. He glanced at a clock in his room before saying, "You had better leave. Your class starts in little less than five minutes."

Hesitantly, Neji and Sakura nodded their consent, before making a hand sign and teleporting themselves out of the Kazekage's office.

Though it was uncharacteristic of him, Gaara let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, and returned his thoughts on the letter he was writing to the Hokage.

**In the Academy:**

In those few minutes it took for the two chunin to reach the academy, they found that it was very hard to start up a conversation. Not that the alarm that morning wasn't _very_ interesting, but more so about what Neji had said to Sakura the night before. Those words had emotional effects on both shinobi, and this started to make both of them a little self-conscious.

What were their true feelings towards one another?

That was the big question. Sure, Neji and Sakura were growing closer together, maybe even to the point of him liking her a little bit, but nothing was serious. At least, not yet.

Both let out held breaths as the children silently filed into the room, each child with a look of pain and sadness on their face. Obviously, they had already heard of what became of the Kenryoku family.

Even Taiyo was silent, and Hato was close to tears. Though she didn't know Churitsu as well as some of the other kids, his loss pained her just like everyone else.

Sakura took in a deep breath before greeting, "Ohayo gozaimasu, burui,", not even expecting a reply from the class. And she was not disappointed.

Neji sighed. "I know that this is hard for you to all swallow, but this is what happens in the ninja world. You have to accept it," he told them, staying stoic as he always was.

"This is a terrible blow to you all, I just know it, but as Hyuuga-sensei said, it happens. Think about it, though," Sakura prodded. "From what I've heard, the Kenryoku family was very powerful. That means that it was also a hard blow for Sunagakure. You are not alone in your feelings."

None of the students made eye contact with their teachers, taking to staring down at their desks.

Neji turned to Sakura, and got close enough to whisper into her ear. "I do not believe that they are in the proper condition for a lesson today. What shall we do?" he inquired, folding his arms over his torso.

Sakura thought about it for awhile, before coming up with an idea.

"I believe I have a plan. Hold on," she replied in answer to his question. She bit down on her thumb, drawing blood. Forming a couple hand signs, she performed her Kuchiyose Jutsu, summoning the house cat and cheetah from their den.

The children were startled by the sound of commissioning jutsu, and were surprised to see two of Sakura's cats in the classroom yet again.

"Now, Neji, could you summon your hawk and raven, kudasai?" she asked him politely, grinning at him.

Stunned for a moment, Neji finally nodded in reply, biting down on his own thumb, forming his hand signs, and summoning said birds.

"What is your plan, Sakura?"

"Kima, Junshin, come here, kudasai,"ordered Sakura, watching as her summons gracefully made their way to her.

"What is it that you wish for us to do, Sakura-hime?" inquired the cheetah that was called Kima, eyeing the birds with a predatory look on his face.

"For now, leave the birds alone. I have a mission for you two." Sakura squatted down on her knees, now at eye level with Kima. "I want you and one of the birds, if that is alright with Neji, to patrol the desert surrounding Sunagakure. You are looking for signs of possible danger that could be heading towards Suna. Leave nothing unchecked. Report to me if and when you find something. That is your mission, Kima."

The raven and hawk looked at Neji pleadingly, not trusting the big cat. Neji got the hint and asked, "Why do you need my summons? Surely your cats can do it alone."

Sakura stood up and walked towards Neji, looking him in the eye. "Your birds will be able to cover more distance with their keen eyesight. One of them should assist Kima, while the other could assist Junshin," she answered, sending Kima a warning glance when she saw him once again staring at one of the birds.

"And just what exactly will the house cat be doing that needs assistance?"

"She will be tracking down Sasuke's scent. If she finds any leads, we can ask Gaara-kun for permission to pursue him. If we aren't allowed that, we can send word to Konoha that we know of his whereabouts. Is this plan satisfactory?" asked the rosette, almost smirking.

Neji thought the plan over for awhile, before posing yet another question. "And how do we know that Sasuke won't just attack your house cat when he sees it? Surely he'd know it was yours, if his snakes hadn't already gotten to it..."

"And that, Neji, is where your bird comes in. Because of the size ratio between either of your birds and Junshin is just over three to one, escape is guaranteed, if it wasn't already with just Junshin's speed. Junshin and Kima are the two fasted neko in the summoning contract. Snakes and Sasuke will be no problem to outrun." Sakura paused to take a breath. "So, what do you say, Neji? Are you willing to participate?" she inquired, smiling at him.

Neji sighed yet again. "I suppose I have no choice in the matter since Tsunade-sama made you captain of this mission." Neji smiled slightly. "But if one of my summons is missing when your cats return, especially the one who goes with the cheetah, I will personally skin said cat..."

"Ooh, I didn't think it was possible, but it seems that the great Hyuuga Neji has made a joke!" laughed Sakura, taking a minute to pull herself together. "But no worries, if one of your birds goes missing, I will personally take care of the one responsible." A humorous glare was sent Kima's way.

Neji also found it in himself to chuckle.

This was short lived, however, when an explosion was heard from the other side of the building, accompanied by screams. The children began to panic and rose from their seats, looking from the door to Sakura and Neji, hoping for an order to do something.

Sakura and Neji were just as shocked, and were running towards the door.

"Kima, Junshin, get the children out of here!" ordered Sakura, running out the door and towards the sound of the explosions.

Neji ordered the same of his birds, and quickly followed after her.

With a deafening roar, Kima held on kid by the neck of his shirt in his mouth, and had three more sitting on his back. Junshin was surprisingly, despite her size, able to manage two children. The raven held one child by the talons and another by the neck of the shirt in his beak, while the hawk was able to carry the last child in his talons. It took a few minutes, but eventually all nine children were safe outside with the other teachers and students that made it out.

Flames were bursting through windows, and smoke was billowing out of open spaces. The whole academy was now aflame, and no one dared to go back inside, aside from the cats and birds. All four of them returned into the building in search of their masters, who were searching for any survivors that had yet to escape from the building.

The smoke was so thick that it was hard to breathe, and Sakura was coughing violently through the smoke, trying to force what had gotten into her lungs out. Neji was suffering from the same problem, but in a much more discreet way.

They heard terrified screams coming from behind the door right next to them, and out of impulse, Neji kicked the door down, met with even thicker smoke and more flames.

Small cries could be heard from beyond the crackling flames, and they were obviously children struggling to breathe.

Almost desperate to save them, Sakura reached into her weapon pouch and pulled out just what she was looking for; an explosive note. But not just any explosive note, oh no, this note held properties of water chakra in it, which would expel the fire in their way. She placed in on the floor and formed her hand sign, almost too weak to mutter "Kai!".

It did just as it was supposed to; the flames began to dissipate, and now they could enter to room. They found the children all huddled together in the side of the room that was farthest from the flames, which still wasn't all that far. In all, there were ten of them.

Looking at each other and nodding simultaneously, Sakura and Neji performed the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Neji creating two clones of himself while Sakura created one.

They all rushed over to the children, quickly, yet gently, grabbing them by the waists. Each figure took two children at a time. The teachers were nowhere to be seen...

As they made their way out of the room, Neji and Sakura heard the distinctive roar and hissing from the cats, and the screeching from the birds.

Pausing for only a brief second, Sakura ordered the summons to carefully search the building for any more survivors before making their way towards the nearest exit.

When they reached the fresh air of the outside, they all took in deep breaths, cleansing their lungs of the foul smoke. The first thing Sakura spotted was Gaara, taking control of the sand around the building in order to effectively smother the flames.

Soon after, Kima, Junshin, and the falcon and hawk returned from the building, only with two more children, and no other adults. In all, there were only twenty-eight students left, outside, anyway.

When the flames were finally all put out, specialized ninja, trained in handling fire damage, entered the building, finding only two survivors in all, one a child and the other apparently a teacher, both covered in fatal burns. Even if Sakura was strong enough to treat them, she doubted they would've survived anyway, because the burns were so serious. She also doubted that the Naosu Mi that Hinata had given her would be able to help these severely burned shinobi and students.

After making sure that Neji and Sakura had time to breathe in enough clean air, Gaara approached them, demanding to know what had happened.

To the best of their ability, Neji and Sakura relived what they remembered; the explosion, the smell of smoke, the sound of the tortured screams that echoed through the halls. All of it. And it almost made them sick.

They had deduced that the cause of the fire were closely placed explosive notes that, when one was activated, the others would consecutively explode. The children that the Hyuga and Haruno rescued from the room had said that their teachers had told them that they were leaving the room to retrieve something from somewhere, and then less than three minutes later, the explosions went off.

It was most likely either traitorous teachers, or enemy spies that sent off the explosions, and now, Gaara could no longer hide it.

"Sakura-san, Hyuga-san, prepare to evacuate the children,"he ordered.

"Demo, Gaara-san, where? What place would be safe for them?" questioned Sakura, looking towards the huddled children, each covered in a blanket.

"We shall be sending them to Konoha. Sunagakure is no longer safe..."

**End Chapter**

A/N: OMG! I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I updated! There were a couple of reasons though. The first one was that this chapter was really hard to come up with an idea for. Luckily, when I sat down at the computer a couple of days ago, I got inspired, and wrote this out. Secondly, I got a laptop a couple of months ago, and was typing up a few chapters for some of my other stories, and even a new one, but don't expect anything until Christmas, or right after. Lastly, and I know that everyone says it, school work... Kami, I HATE Geometry... IT'S SO STUPID!!

Well, please don't be mad at me. I'm trying!

Please review. The ones that I've gotten so far are awesome, and I just can't believe this story's popularity!

Ja, ja mata!

-Umi no Kaiso


	9. Welcome to Konoha

A/N: Yo, my readers! Wow, only eight reviews? That's a bit low after getting sixteen for chapter 7... Oh well, I can only hope there are more for this chapter...

Anyway, I'm glad I can finally get some time to write. I've been busy with this retarded research project for my English class, in which my teacher's a flippin' ass. She's an extremely hard grader, puts no effort into making the class enjoyable, and compared to a different teacher for the same class, overworks us. Kami, I normally love English, but this year, it's my least favorite class...

That aside, I understand the lack of reviews, since the last chapter was really a bit of a filler, and nothing eventful happened, but this one should be better, so I expect at least ten reviews, or updates will take even longer... Yeah, I know, it almost seems impossible, doesn't it?

Well, enjoy this chapter! I'll do my best to make it stand out!

**Chapter 9: Welcome to Konoha**

The twenty-eight surviving students were immediately sent home in order to retrieve supplies, accompanied by a shadow clone of either Neji or Sakura for protection. They were also to inform the parents of the children that their kids were being evacuated, and for the strenuous number reasons, they weren't permitted to follow, by order of the Kazekage.

Some parents were more understanding than others, having teary goodbye's with their children, and telling them to behave themselves.

Within only three hours, every single child remaining from the academy was standing at exit gates of Suna, carrying with them a small pack of necessities, toiletries, and a couple personal belongings. Only one break would be taken each day until they reached Konoha.

The only protection there was for the children was Neji, Sakura, and Gaara. If worse came to worse, a teleportation jutsu was to be used in order to get the children to safety.

Just as they were about to set out, the messenger hawk that Gaara had sent to Konoha returned, carrying with it Tsunade's reply.

It read,

_Gaara-sama,_

_I understand your state of urgency, and I welcome you to Konoha with open arms. The children are our top priority, and we will find a way to keep them safe, don't worry. _

_I've sent out a small team in order to meet up with you around mid-way through your journey. We're taking every precaution we can in order to get you all here safely._

_May your journey be safe, and I shall expect you in a couple of days._

_Tsunade_

Gaara was slightly relieved, but even if Tsunade said no, they still would've gone. The attack was too major to stay within the city limits. There would've had to be a big explanation to the fifth Hokage as to why twenty-eight kids were standing outside the front gates of Konoha... Luckily, all of that was avoided.

"Yoshi, we're off to Konoha. Everyone stay with the group, and remain alert. There may be an attack, so prepare yourselves," warned Neji, glancing over every child in the group, remembering each and every face. "Between Sakura and I, we have nine summons to help us should something arise, but don't let your guards down until we're through Konoha's gates, understood?"

"Hai!" replied the scared voices of the young students, who weren't even yet Genin.

In silence, the large group walked through Sunagakure's gates, leaving it behind and entering the desert. It wasn't even passed noon yet, so there was a lot of daylight to burn. They would have their first break when they reached the tree-line of the forest surrounding the desert.

Through the dust and sand, one could see, in the distance, a dusty blur moving across the sand, with some sort of bird following it overhead. Though it appeared to see them, it didn't make any movement towards them, and it continued on its way.

Without any problems, the group reached the forest by sunset, taking cover in the trees and bushes. They allowed the children a quick meal and bathroom break, and then they were off again, covering a massive distance by the time the children could no longer continue.

Already, it was the morning of the next day, almost 1 am, by the time they stopped for the night. They only had three more hours before they reached Konoha, but that didn't mean that they were in the clear yet. There was still no sign of the other ninja that Tsunade had supposedly sent out, but it could just be a different path that was taken that threw them off...

For now, Neji, Sakura, and Gaara were sleeping in shifts. Gaara insisted that he take the first watch, since, even though he no longer was possessed by Shukaku, he didn't sleep that much. Sakura and Neji were to take the last shift together, for if anything happened to Neji during the night, it would be Sakura's job as a medic to heal him. Gaara was not a problem for he was protected by his sand armor.

Hours later, dawn approached. Neji and Sakura started waking the children and getting them ready for departure. They were close to the village, and nothing had happened yet; that was either a good sign, or a sign that something was coming...

When all the children were awake, and had gone into the bushes to relieve themselves, the group set off again, still on the look out for some sort of attack.

An hour went by without anything out of the ordinary happening, but soon after that hour had passed, Sakura, Neji, and Gaara sensed chakra signals heading their way, many of them unfamiliar.

Using the opportunity of how much distance was still between them, Sakura and Neji summoned what was left of the animals in their contracts, having three to four students stay close to each animal.

When Koraseru spotted Fushicho, she growled menacingly, making the great phoenix spread its wings in an intimidating fashion.

Sakura glanced back at her summon and hissed at her, "Koraseru, now's not the time! Watch over the children."

Neji did the same with Fushicho. "Do not act so childish. Someone's approaching."

With a bit of hesitation, the beasts stopped their little feud, turning their attention to what was approaching.

The children were even more frightened than they already were, staying close to their designated protectors. It it was required, Koraseru and Fushicho would be able to get all of the children to Konoha safely, but that was to be a last resort. Kami knows that birds and cats don't get along very well...

Within moments, the unfamiliar ninja burst through the trees, carrying with them, apparently, hostages, who's faces were covered by masks, obviously ANBU. In all, there were ten ninja opposing them, dressed in what appeared to be uniforms from the Village of the Sound.

The ANBU were currently fighting for consciousness, losing their energy as a result of chakra eating rope.

Sakura and Neji immediately had at the ready a kunai, while Gaara braced himself with his sand.

One of the sound-nin spoke. "Now, now, Sakura-hime. We do not wish to harm you. Come along with us, kudasai. Sasuke-sama wishes to see you," he said, smirking slightly.

Sakura only gripped her kunai harder, biting out, "If that teme wants to see me, then he better come fight me himself! It will take more than you to drag me to him!"

The felines began leading the cowering children to safety, trying to keep them out of the fight that was surely going to take place. They found a hollow tree nearby, having a couple of the larger cats stay at the entrance in order to guard the children inside, while the rest of them returned to fight alongside Sakura.

"Sakura-hime," taunted one of the opposing nin, feigning shock. "It's not very polite for a lady to use such language!" With almost unseen speed, that same ninja had pulled out a kunai and sent it flying towards Sakura. Before it could even reach its target, it was countered by Sakura's kunai.

When the pink-haired kunoichi released her kunai, the other sound nin did the same, taking advantage of the now defenseless Sakura.

While Sakura started bracing herself for the shooting pain of impact, Neji had moved in the blink of an eye in front of her, deflecting all nine kunai in rapid succession with his own, surprising everyone.

"Hn..." grunted the lead ninja. "Sasuke-sama failed to warn us about your companions... No matter..." The sound ninja formed a combination of hand signs before disappearing completely, only to end up reappearing behind Sakura with a kunai poised at her neck, ready to slit her throat.

"If you come quietly, none of your precious blood will have to be spilled..." he threatened, cackling slightly. When Sakura did not respond, he repeated his threat with more force, using the blade to begin cutting into her neck's flesh.

But Sakura made no sound. All that happened was the ninja behind her slit her throat fully, and watched as she fell to the ground with wide eyes.

The other sound ninja couldn't believe what he had done! He had just killed the girl they were sent to retrieve! Sasuke-sama would have their heads for this! There was no time to finish off the others. If they wanted to somehow save their own lives from Sasuke's wrath, they'd have to grovel and beg as they explained. The leader realized this as well, and dropped his kunai to the ground as if it had just caused him some great pain, taking off after the others as the fled the scene.

Once they were fully out of sight, Neji turned back to look at Sakura in question as to why the enemy shinobi had just run away from their fight, only to find an empty space behind him.

"Sakura-san? Sakura?" he questioned, looking around just to find a trace of her. This was not funny dammit!

A sort of _poof_ sound rang out through the small area, as Sakura appeared in a cloud of smoke, seemingly fine.

Neji released a breath he didn't know he had been holding as Sakura reappeared. But, of course, it was now back to business.

"Why did they flee like that? There was no apparent reason as to why they did so..." Neji remarked in annoyance. It was not considered honorable conduct in the field of battle to flee for no reason...

Sakura rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Neji playfully. Crossing her arms over her chest and feigning irritation, Sakura replied, "It took them long enough! That was my most effective genjutsu. It plays on the enemy's worst fears. In this case, it was Sasuke's temper. I just let them fill in the blanks of what would cause it."

The neko still around were resting in a nearby tree. They sensed Sakura activate her genjutsu after Neji blocked the kunai. From there, there was nothing to worry about.

Gaara was over by the captive ANBU, grabbing a discarded kunai from the ground and slicing through the chakra eating rope. Wearily, the three ANBU operatives stood up, too exhausted to move by themselves.

"Koraseru-sama, will you escort these ninja back to the village, kudasai?" requested the medic, smiling as her summon kneeled in order to help them climb up onto her back.

"I shall return swiftly, deshi," promised the tigress, taking off quickly into the trees back towards the village, carefully minding the barely conscious passengers on her back.

Neji and Gaara watched with interest as the white tiger disappeared in an instant, only to have their attention grabbed once again by Sakura.

"Neji, Gaara-kun, we need to pick up our pace. I've bought us some time with that genjutsu, but we don't know how long Sasuke will take to come see the truth for himself," she explained, guiding them to the children's hiding place. "We will send most of the children ahead with our summons, and we'll keep a couple with us. If we can at least double our pace, we should reach Konoha in the next hour."

Neji and Gaara nodded in confirmation. For now, that was all they could do. Unless, of course, they wanted to use even more precious time to track the sound ninja down and silence them permanently... Definitely not worth the time.

Only a few of Sakura's cats remained, and two of Neji's birds were nearby, perched in the trees. With a single gesture from his hand, the eagle and phoenix were standing on the stable ground, and without a word, they crouched into a lower position, allowing about eight children in all to travel to the village by bird.

Five of the six cats that were going to be able to handle the job took three to four children each, leaving two children with the three experienced shinobi.

The ones who remained were Taiyo and Hato, Hato too nervous to travel with the felines and aviators, and Taiyo not seeing where the adventure was in the safe traveling. He'd rather stay with his instructors and have at least some chance of action.

"Hato, stay close to me. Taiyo, stick with Hyuga-sensei. Try to keep up the best you can," she explained, taking Hato's belongings and strapping them to her back. Neji did the same for Taiyo, and within moments, they were on the go again.

NSNSNSN

The trip was tiring, but the estimated time of arrival was dead on. An hour after they started out again, they were through the gates of Konoha, and met by Tsunade, who looked extremely tired, possibly coming off of a hangover, and having just dealt with twenty-six children...

The children were taking up residence with the most trusted families in the village, including the Hyuga, Nara, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans. The Hyuga clan had the most rooms available, so many of the children were staying there.

Sakura had already requested that Hato and Taiyo stay with her, since the other clans already seemed to have their hands full. She even offered Gaara temporary boarding in her home, which he graciously accepted.

For some reason, unknown to him, Neji didn't like the idea of Gaara being alone with Sakura, even if two of the children were there with her. As the thought crossed his mind, Sakura turned towards him, smiling.

"Neji, would you like to join us? I'm sure you'd rather not deal with so many children running through your home. I can have a room set up for you,"she offered kindly, already leading the children towards her home.

The Haruno household wasn't that big, but there were enough rooms for everyone. Sakura's parents had passed away about three years back, so she was used to living alone, even though she always enjoyed company.

Neji was surprised by her offer, but accepted it nonetheless, agreeing with her opinion about his housing situation; purely chaotic...

Of course, Taiyo was pleased. Neji was like an idol to him, and Sakura was a very kind person that was easy to get along with.

Hato was as happy as she could get considering the situation. Sakura-sensei was a lot nicer to her than the other teachers were, so it was no wonder that she like to follow her around. And Taiyo was going to be there too, so hopefully they'd have fun and acknowledge each other.

The ANBU that had been captured were receiving medical attention in the Konoha hospital, many of them being treated for severe chakra depletion and minor wounds.

When the last doctor left the room after examining her unconscious patients, one of them snapped their eyes open, and smirked maniacally to himself...

**End Chapter**

A/N: Ooooh!! What's going to happen? I honestly have no idea! XD But seriously, I know this is probably one of my shorter chapters, but I expect to update this story again soon, since I just started my Winter Break. I don't know about my other stories, though, since my parents are starting to rethink their plans for getting me an Internet connecter for my laptop...

Oh, well... REVIEW, KUDASAI!!! AND I MEAN IT!!!

Ja ne, and Happy Holidays!

-Umi no Kaiso


	10. The Haruno Residence

A/N: Hey, guys! Fast update, I know. First off, I want to say something to my reviewers. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! And for the people who didn't review, well, get to it you guys! I mean, 49 of you have me on alert, and 34 of you have added me to your favorites! Come on! At the very least I want ten reviews for each chapter! Please?

Anyway, good news is, my parents are going to take me out and get a new laptop, since the one my aunt gave me was a piece of crap... I mean, it has to stay plugged into an electric outlet, or the battery dies... It has no Internet connection at all, and out of nowhere, especially when I was foolishly trying to type up some chapters for future updates and stories, the power goes out on me. It really is a piece of crap.

On another note, this will probably be the only update for the next few weeks. Semester exams are coming up, so I have to do a lot of studying if I want to pull off an "A" in my classes... So please be patient with me, and use the time I'm not on the site to review, 'kay?

Well, now that that's settled, enjoy the chapter! Remember, AT LEAST 10 REVIEWS, OR THE UPDATE WILL TAKE EVEN LONGER THAN IT NEEDS TO!!

**Chapter 10: The Haruno Residence**

While Sakura led Gaara, Taiyo and Hato to her home, Neji returned to the Hyuga compound to retrieve some clothing and other toiletries.

It was decided that Gaara would stay and recuperate for the night, and make his way back to Suna the next morning. Suna needed its Kazekage, and while Gaara trusted that Kankuro could handle things while he was gone, it was better to be safe than sorry.

At the moment, it was around 6:00 pm, meaning that Hato and Taiyo were probably tired and hungry.

Sakura and her little group were standing outside of her home. All in all, it was a large enough place, basically built for a medium size clan. The Harunos, while merchants, settled in Konoha centuries ago, and never were a large clan. Because of all the traveling done, many of the Haruno's never made it home, leaving the only survivors Sakura and her parents. Ayame and Saboten Haruno were also merchants, the mother and father of Sakura.

It was tradition in the Haruno clan to be named after certain plants. Ayame was named after the iris plant, and Saboten was named after a cactus. They died about four years ago while delivering a valuable artifact to a far away country. They were attacked by hired ninja, and ever since, Sakura had been alone in the clan building.

Compared to the Hyuga compound it was nothing. The Haruno home had ten bedrooms, a single dining room, a kitchen, a lounging room, a music room, and five bathrooms. The Hyuga compound probably had five times as much as that...

Sakura never even really spent that much time in her home because it was always to quite and empty. After thinking about it, she realized that Naruto probably felt the same way in his apartment, so when he returned from his training with Jaraiya, she would invite him to come live with her; become her roommate. It was the least she could do for him.

Having people in her home made her feel like her parents were alive again, because there was a life giving spark that lit up the place.

Upon entering her home, Sakura showed Hato, Taiyo, and Gaara to their rooms, and let them each wash up and rest while she prepared dinner. She herself would worry about a full shower later.

After taking a much needed potty break, washing her hands, and putting her hair up into a small ponytail, Sakura proceeded to make a quick run to the market and grab a few things so that she could start dinner.

She was back before anyone had even gotten into their baths, and after putting what she needed for the meal where she would need it, she quickly placed any unneeded item in its proper place.

A large pot was placed on one of the burners of the kitchen stove, filled halfway with water. With a knife, she sliced the some of the fresh tomatoes she bought at the market into itty-bitty bits, before throwing the contents into the pot of water. The remaining tomatoes she crushed so that it was pulpy and saucy, before throwing that in as well.

With a wooden spoon, she stirred the watery substance until it met the thickness her standards required.

As she was about to smash her two garlic cloves, Neji walked through the door, carrying a pack of fresh clothing and supplies. He placed it on the floor where he could retrieve it later, and approached Sakura, surprised that she was cooking, and not finding that he knew what the dish was.

Sakura acknowledged him as he approached her, smiling at him, before taking her finely smashed garlic and throwing it into the mix. A couple pinches of parsley added in, and now all it had to do was cook.

"What are you making, Sakura?" inquired the Hyuga, taking in the entrancing and strange scent of the sauce. It smelled delicious.

She turned to look at him and grinned, taking her spoon and stirring the mix together in order to even out the flavor.

"Well, Neji, it seems that you'll just have to find out when you eat it, now won't you?" the kunoichi teased sweetly, enjoying leaving the genius ninja in the dark.

She placed a smaller pot on another burner, filling it almost fully with water, and waited for it to come to a boil. During her wait, she moved over to one of her cupboards and opened it to reveal a bunch of boxed and canned goods.

She huffed in annoyance when she found that what she was looking for was out of her reach, and, not thinking to ask Neji for help, started jumping up in down in an attempt to reach a specific box.

Neji almost could've laughed at the sight, but instead walked up beside her after discovering what it was she was trying to get. With unstrained ease, he reached up and grabbed the annoying box and handed it to Sakura, who smiled at him for getting it for her.

"Why thank you, Neji," she said, lifting the tab off of the box and pouring its contents into the now bubbling water.

Neji was still puzzled about the mystery of what food the pink-haired girl was making. The strands she poured into the water almost looked like ramen noodles, but they were too thin, so what were they? He didn't recognize the label on the discarded box, and that only disturbed him further.

Finally, taking him out of his thoughts, he heard Sakura speak.

"Neji, it'll be a little while before dinner is ready. Why don't you find a room and freshen up for dinner? I'm sure you'd like to change into some more comfortable clothing," she suggested, grabbing yet _another_ pot and placing it too on a burner.

Neji smiled slightly, replying, "I'm quite comfortable in what I'm in now, and finding a room can wait. I was able to freshen up before I left the compound, even if I was rushed by a small line of children waiting to use the bathroom. I believe I'll be fine." He paused, looking around her kitchen. "Is there anything you need help in preparing?"

Sakura was momentarily shocked by his offer, but her shock was quickly replaced with a kind smile as she nodded her head.

"If you don't mind, yes, thank you." She picked up a stick of butter and a head of cauliflower, taking the leftover head in her own hands while Neji took the butter and the first head. "Take about half of that stick, and set it to the side for now. You can help me in cutting up the cauliflower," she explained, taking out two cutting boards from a small cabinet beside her kitchen sink.

As soon as both heads of cauliflower were chopped up into bite-sized pieces, they were thrown into the empty pot, and the half of a stick of butter was thrown in on top of that, melting on top of the steaming cauliflower. With a few sprinkles of salt for flavor, Sakura was through with the vegetables, and moved on to the noodles, grabbing a colander that was sitting out on the drainboard and placing it in the sink, pouring the cooked noodles into the bowl and letting the water drain out of it.

"Gomen, Neji, but there really wasn't much for you to do. Unless you want to set the table for the five of us, you're free to explore the place," she said, smiling at him thankfully for his attempt to help her.

By the sound of it, Gaara, Taiyo and Hato had each gotten out of their respective showers or baths, and were probably getting dressed for dinner, or possibly some comfortable night clothes.

Being the gentleman that he was, Neji inquired, "Where do you keep your plates and silverware?", moving towards one of the cabinets in which he knew he hadn't seen the contents of yet.

Sakura was shocked yet again, but hid it with a small giggle.

"The plates are in the cabinet to the top right of the stove, and the forks are in the drawer to the left of the sink," she informed him, stirring her sauce to prevent it from burning.

Within the span of two minutes, plates, napkins, and forks were set on the dining room table. All that left was the drinks, but Sakura insisted that she be the one to set those out when he asked for the glasses.

"Now, Neji, for being such a good helper," she stressed teasingly. "Come over here and taste this before I put it on the noodles."

Neji blinked almost unbelievingly, but sure enough, Sakura held out the stirring spoon and offered it to him. Almost reluctantly, he took the spoon, but looked to Sakura in order to make sure it was alright for him to be doing so.

When she only nodded and smiled at him in encouragement, he finally sampled the sauce that was on the spoon, finding that the flavor was delicious and strange at the same time.

"This... This is quite delectable Sakura. Can you still not tell me what it is?" he questioned, truly wanting to know what she was preparing for the meal.

Sakura sighed, feigning irritation before smiling at Neji again.

"Ja... If you really want to know... I guess it's fine," she conceded, shrugging. "Did you know that the entire Haruno family was made up of only merchants until I decided that I wanted to be a ninja?" she inquired, watching as Neji took on an almost surprised look. "They traveled all over the world, sometimes entrusted to take extremely rare and valuable items with them, which is the reason I'm the last Haruno. Eventually, my parents were given something valuable to transport, and on the way to this certain country, they were attacked and killed," she said, almost somberly.

"Gomen, for your loss, demo, what does that have to do with this?" asked the genius shinobi.

Sakura's sadness was replaced with her normally cheerful smile, as she replied, "I was getting to that. Ja, because they traveled to so many places before their time came, they brought home many foreign items. Feel free to look for them later. This dish is called spaghetti, and it's a recipe my parents acquired from a distant country called Italy. It's one of my favorite foods."

Her explanation was quite intriguing, to say the least, but Neji noticed the look on her face as she recalled how her parents died, and how she immediately replaced her sorrow with that smile she so commonly wore. It was a little unnerving. He was also able to recall that the look on her face was the very same one that she wore when he walked her home before their mission started...

Before Neji could comment on it to Sakura, Taiyo came bounding out of his room, shortly followed by Hato and Gaara, who all looked refreshed and clean.

Hato was instantly at Sakura's side when she exited her room, and was timidly playing with her fingers.

"Yes, Hato?" prodded Sakura, smiling kindly to the young girl.

"Ja, Sakura-sensei, when will we be able to return to our families? I miss my mother and father and I'm worried about them,"expressed the shy child, casting her eyes towards the ground.

Sakura kneeled to Hato's level, telling her, "Hato, I have no idea when it's going to be safe for you to return, but for now, try to make the best of the situation. Gaara-sama will be returning tomorrow to oversee the country, and he will send a message when it's safe for you to go home. Everything will fall into place in time." The older kunoichi stood up and gestured to the set table. "Now, go sit at the table, and I'll bring out the meal, okay?"

Hato nodded, feeling a little better, but not entirely convinced, before making her way to the table to join Taiyo and her Kazekage.

Back in the kitchen, Neji was speechless. He didn't know how to approach Sakura with the fact that while she always saw to the comfort of the people around her, she never tended to herself emotionally. He'd have to get her alone and speak to her about it, letting her know that while they were strictly teammates on this continuous mission, she could talk to him and let all of her pent up emotions out.

His thoughts were stirred when he saw Sakura pour all of the noodles into a larger, serving bowl, taking a ladle to drizzle the delicious sauce over them, before moving on to the vegetables, and also putting them in a serving bowl, slightly smaller than the first.

With practiced balance and grace, Sakura carried both bowls, very heavy ones at that, to the table filled with waiting ninja.

Gaara stood from his seat and took the larger of the two bowls out of Sakura's hands, placing it on the table for her.

Sakura smiled sweetly and thanked the Kazekage while placing the vegetables on the table as well.

Normally being a considerate gentleman, Neji berated himself for not assisting Sakura with the food, but found that there was nothing he could do about it for now. The fact that Gaara had thought to do so only added to his chiding.

When everyone was finally seated, a quick "Itadakemasu," was said, before everyone just eyed the strange food put in front of them...

"Well don't all eat at once..."mumbled Sakura, standing up so that she could reach the serving spoon for her spaghetti. Neji followed her example, having already sampled the sauce, hoping that it was just as good on the noodles.

Gaara was next, followed by Hato, who was tailed by the ever defiant Taiyo...

Once everyone had gotten a taste of the food, and Sakura explained what it was and where it came from, it didn't take long for the whole meal to be finished off. Even the vegetables were gone, if that said anything about the meal...

Within ten minutes after the food was finished, the table was cleared off and wiped down, and the utensils and bowls were washed and now were drying.

Though they were tired, Taiyo and Hato ran off to explore their living quarters for the time being, often returning to inquire as to what a certain strange object was. Neji and Gaara were just as curious, but were much more discreet about it...

Finally, they discovered a room that was dimly lit, with a large object standing up against the wall. There was a small bench tucked underneath it. On the opposite side of the room was a large tinted window.

"Sakura-sensei! What is that?" asked Hato, running up to the object and gazing at it with wonder.

Sakura flipped a switch on the wall and grinned when she saw what Hato and Taiyo were staring at, walking over to them and pulling at the bench to sit on. It was her family piano. Yet another item brought home from the country of Italy.

She ran her fingers over the keys, taking in every note the instrument made. The last time she played it was before she left for her mission.

"This," she started, taking out a book of sheet music from a compartment in the bench. "Is called a piano. It's an instrument from Italy. I could play it for you if you'd like," she offered, gesturing to a large couch to the left to the room.

The children quickly walked over to the couch, while Gaara and Neji hovered over her shoulder, intrigued by this foreign instrument.

While they were a little too close for comfort, Sakura said nothing and set up her sheet music.

Once she found the right hand position, she gently pressed the pedal under the piano to make the keys have a more elegant sound, and then she began to play, also adding her voice where the words to the song were needed.

"Tale as old as time," she started, tenderly playing the keys and singing the song. "True as it can be."

Neji and Gaara were entranced by not only the sound of the music, but the singing voice of Haruno Sakura. It accompanied the song perfectly, changing to the right pitch as the song did.

"Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly. Just a little change. Small, to say the least," she recited. This was always her favorite song to play; it was so beautiful and intricate.

Taiyo and Hato were captivated by the pleasant music, swaying together with the rhythm of the song.

"Both a little scared, neither one prepared. Beauty and the Beast." From there, the song started taking on a different rhythm; the notes got higher, and slightly faster.

Gaara and Neji couldn't help but feel that the song was about one of them. Gaara thought that the song was referring to him, because of the beast, while Neji believed that it was him that Sakura was singing about, because of the "barely even friends", and now they were getting along better than they ever had before.

"Ever just the same. Ever a surprise. Ever as before, ever just as sure as the sun will rise." Now the song reverted to the way it had started out; slower and more elegant. "Tale as old as time, tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong. Certain as the sun rising in the East. Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast." Finishing the last words of the song, Sakura gracefully ended the piano music with a pair of high-pitched sixteenth notes followed by a perfect half-note, bringing her foot off of the pedal and placing her hands in her lap.

After a brief moment of silence, Taiyo and Hato leaped off of the couch and ran over to Sakura, shouting, "Sakura-sensei, that was amazing! It was so pretty!"

Neji and Gaara said nothing, but internally they felt the same way. It was a beautiful song, made even more so because they'd never heard anything like it before. Truly amazing, as the children said.

Outside, looking in from the window, a silver-haired man stood. The hospital staff was out searching for him, but if they ever found him they would be easily taken care of.

Pushing up his glasses so that he could see accurately, he whispered to himself, "Sasuke-sama will be pleased. Those fools have given him the wrong information, but I will set his mind at ease with what I've discovered."

A hand sign later, nothing remained in the place where the man once stood, only smoke already thinning out in the air.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well? I did it! I updated before break ended! I should be updating my other story as well, because just the other night I got a new laptop that actually works! Yay!

Anyway, at least ten reviews for this chapter, or updates will take even longer... Trust me...

Ja ne!

-Umi no Kaiso


	11. A Shoulder to Cry On

A/N: Yo, my readers! I love you guys for all the reviews I got for the last chapter! Keep it up please! I guess everyone enjoyed the piano bit a lot! I think I'll put it in every once in awhile. ;)

Enjoy the chapter! And sorry it took so long to update!

**Chapter 11: A Shoulder to Cry On**

Gaara left early in the morning, leaving a note for Sakura on the dining room table thanking her for her hospitality, understanding, and generosity. He also apologized for not saying goodbye to her face, and for also leaving the children with her in her current situation, promising that he would return to Konoha as soon as he could.

As Sakura read the note left for her, she smiled sadly, whispering to herself, "He should know that it's no problem at all. We are friends, and that's the kind of stuff we do for each other."

It was still extremely early in the morning, meaning no one else was awake yet. The children were so exhausted from their journey, and yet they were strong enough to make the trip. They were even younger than Konohamaru, but they had a strength to them that made her proud to be their part-time sensei.

Sakura sighed, dragging herself away from the table and note and heading towards the piano room. That was the only place that she was able to get her mind off of something when she was upset or frustrated, and if anytime at all Sakura was the most frustrated, that would be completely pushed aside by, well, now…

If she played softly, no one would hear her and be forced to wake up, and she wouldn't have to come up with an excuse as to why she was up so early to people who were curious to know what was wrong with her.

A flick of the switch on the wall and the lights were on, letting Sakura make her way to her piano with ease. She picked out another piano book and placed it on the note stand on the piano, putting her hands in the required hand position. This song she hadn't quite mastered yet, but she was getting close. Putting her foot on the damper pedal, Sakura started pressing down on the keys as she needed to, humming along with the piano melody.

Everything was going fine until she came to about the middle of the song; her fingers started tripping over each other, in a sense, and to save herself and her poor ears from any further embarrassment, she quickly removed her foot from the pedal and her hands from the keys.

She never noticed the presence and chakra that had entered the room.

He had woken up to the almost silent sound of music, taking a moment to realize that it was Sakura's piano. And by the sound of how intricate the keys were, he knew that it must be Sakura that was playing it. But why was she up so early in the morning? The sun hadn't even risen yet.

Neji sat up and stood from the bed he was being allowed to sleep in until the children returned to Suna, and grabbed his discarded shirt off of a lone chair. He slept through the night with his pants on, but otherwise, nothing. He went topless. (A/N: Aw, man! I got blood on my laptop! Stupid pervy nosebleeds! JK!)

Quickly he pulled it on over his head, making his way towards the sound of the music.

He arrived in time to see Sakura take her hands away from the keys, slightly disappointed that she quit her song at the hardest part.

"You know, Sakura, I've never known you to be one who would give up on something," he murmured, obviously startling her. "Something's bothering you," he stated, simply staring at her.

"Hehe, now why would you say that Neji?" she sheepishly asked, too tired to fully put on her happy façade. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Don't lie to me Sakura. You may have had everyone else fooled, but after spending a handful of days with you, I can tell you're covering something up," he hissed softly, so as not to wake the two children sleeping a little ways off.

"Nothing is wrong, Neji," she repeated, though slightly less comfortable knowing that he really did know that her happy smile was not always real. "I'm fine. I won't jeopardize the mission we still have. Don't worry."

"Sakura, while that is also on my mind, it's not the mission I'm worried about. I don't know how long you've been hiding whatever it is that you're hiding, but it's not healthy to keep it to yourself," he warned her, narrowing his eyes slightly as she appeared to ignore him in favor of studying her sheet music.

"You know, Neji, sometimes it's best not to burden other people with your problems. If something is wrong, and I'm not saying it is, I wouldn't go around telling everybody just so they can worry about my problem. The people in this village have enough stress as it is with Akatsuki running around…" she retorted, still not looking at him.

"And yet, you're always the first person to help if someone else has a problem. Don't you think you're underestimating the people around you? If you have a problem, I know a good amount of people who would compete for the first spot in the line to help you through it," he shot back.

"Oh yeah? Like whom?" she inquired, completely skeptical.

"What about Ino? Hasn't she been your friend ever since before your Academy days? Naruto has been with you through practically everything. Hinata-sama and TenTen admire you so much, they'd find it to be an honor to help in any way they possibly could," he started just naming a few. "What about Lee? The one who has expressed his undying love for you since the first time you met. There are so many more people who would be there for you if something was wrong. You're just too stubborn to see them."

Sakura sighed. "Alright, Neji. Maybe I do have a problem, but regardless, I don't want to push it on anyone who already has to deal with their own…" Not even waiting for him to answer, Sakura started playing the song again, determined to get it right. "Besides, I'll figure a way through them, because as you said, I'm not one to give up on something…"

A period of undisturbed piano playing filled the room, no voices, no movement but fingers tapping each key as the music required. Finally, Sakura came to the part she had given up on before, anxious to get it over with. Each note ticked by, before Sakura realized she was already finished with the worst of the song. When she finally noticed, a small smile was gracing her lips.

When it came to an end, she excitedly whispered, "I finally got it! I can't believe it! It was so pretty and wonderful to hear the whole thing! Oh, I can only imagine what the words would sound like!"

Suddenly putting their earlier conversation aside, Neji inquired, "Couldn't you sing it yourself? Surely the words are on the page for you."

Sakura nodded slowly, examining the music. "Of course, Neji. But it wouldn't be correct if I sang the whole thing, because it's a duet with voices. I wouldn't be able to pull it off without someone else, and my double would have to be a guy, otherwise the song would just be awkward. Unless you want to sing it with me, which I highly doubt, I'll just settle with the music, which is fine because it's beautiful even without words…" She cut herself off as she realized she was rambling, smiling sheepishly at the Hyuga.

Neji smirked at her, a plan formulating in his mind.

"What are you smirking about Neji?" asked the pink-haired medic suspiciously, eying him warily.

"Hm? Oh, nothing, just thinking about singing that song with you…" he said, shrugging his shoulders casually.

"You'd really do that for me Neji?" she confirmed, hopeful. But wait! There had to be a catch…

"For a price…"

_'I knew it!'_ she all but growled in her mind.

_**Didn't we all, Sweetie? I mean, Hyuga Neji doesn't seem like the type who would want to sing a duet with us…**_ replied Inner Sakura, pointing out the apparent obvious.

'_Let's just see what he wants…'_

Sakura sighed again. "What do you want Neji?"

"I want to help you. Talk to me about what's wrong. I'll listen and help you with what I can," he offered, sincere in his intentions. Sakura was his teammate, who was quickly turning into his friend, and he couldn't just let her continue on like this.

"Why? Why do you even care?" she whispered, moving from her place on the bench to move towards the soft couch in order to curl herself up in a ball.

_'Exactly!__ Why do I care?'_ he asked himself, staring at her small form on the couch. '_I've never given helping others a second thought before… Could it be that Sakura's starting to get to me?'_

"I thought that this was the sort of thing that friends did for each other. Perhaps I was mistaken," he finally answered, coming up with it as he went yet also meaning every word.

Sakura lifted her head to look at Neji, her eyes betraying her shock. "You consider us friends?"

"I would very much like it if you thought the same way. I hope you would trust me enough to be able to tell me what troubles you," he informed the kunoichi.

Sakura smiled sadly. "You're really insistent about this, aren't you?"

"I won't stop pestering you about this until you finally talk to someone, Sakura," he declared, moving to take a seat next to her. "I would hope that you are willing to talk to me."

She sighed again, burying her face in her hands momentarily before holding it back up. "This…This is going to be very hard for me to talk about without having some sort of negative reaction… You may want to sit back a little," she warned, knowing how things got when she thought about what was bothering her during training with Kakashi…

"I'll be fine, Sakura, I can assure you," he promised, staring at her intently.

Sakura nodded her head, but scooted herself a little farther away from Neji just in case.

"Well, remember when I told you about my family? My parents?" she asked softly, her eyes taking on a blank and lifeless appeal. When Neji nodded she continued. "You know, I was there when they died? I went along to serve as their protection on the journey. I don't think they had ever been so proud of me before defended the caravan from a couple of simple rogue ninja." She smiled somberly again in her remembrance.

Neji remained silent, not sure of what to say.

"We were already close to Venice. As I'm sure you've noticed, my parents did a lot of business with Italy. I had no idea that ninja would follow us that far…" she murmured, her eyes starting to tear up.

Neji noticed this, but only kept prodding. "What happened Sakura?"

"I-I tried. I really did! I refused to let them get what they wanted or hurt my parents, but…but it was six against one!" By now she was sobbing. Obviously this hurt her terribly, but now she was practically spilling out everything that happened.

Sakura sniffled, taking a moment to calm herself down.

"And then, when they saw me having problems with the other ninja, they tried to help… That…That was the worst possible thing they could've done… While I was busy trying to keep them protected, one ninja slipped out of my sights and—and—" Sakura's voice became more frantic as she kept talking, almost as if she were reliving the whole thing.

Neji had a basic idea of what happened, but was utterly shocked by everything else. Six shinobi against one aren't very good odds, especially when two civilians were added into the mix. It was amazing that Sakura survived the encounter.

Sakura didn't bother to include the rest of the sentence, not feeling the need to, and knowing that she wouldn't be able to finish even if she tried.

"How did you survive, Sakura?" inquired the Hyuga, inching his way closer to Sakura in an attempt to console her.

"I've often wondered that…" she replied when she was understandable again. "I'm sure you noticed my prolonged absence a few years ago. I was recovering in Venice for almost six months… The family who nursed me back to health told me what they could, but I couldn't understand much of what they said. I'm wasn't exactly fluent in Italian like my parents were," she commented with a frown, trying to wipe away her tears with her eyes. "I learned eventually, but what I was able to understand was that the husband found me on his way back into the city, lying close to my parents. All of our goods were gone. He saw me breathing and immediately carried me back into town, returning to my parents after his wife began tending to my wounds."

"And your parents?"

"Do you even have to ask? They were pronounced dead at the scene, and were buried in Venice on a patch of land near the canals," she replied bitterly.

"Why did it take you so long to return to Konoha?" asked the branch child, actually noticing her disappearance so long ago.

"There are no ninja in Italy. The rogues who attacked were following our caravan and returned to wherever they came from when they got what they wanted. My wounds had to heal naturally, and many of them lasted for months," she informed him, running her fingers across her abdomen and reaching around to touch her back. Covered by her clothes were deep scars caused by large katana and other types of jutsu. "Nonna Maria said that it was a miracle that I survived, even after they found out that I was a ninja."

"Nonna Maria?"

"Nonna means Grandmother in Italian. She insisted that I call her as such, because she never had grandchildren. I should go visit, but it's so hard to even think about it without crying," she said, her voice starting to crack and more tears streaming down her face.

Suddenly, the conversation reverted back to the battle.

"Why!? Why couldn't I have been stronger!? If I wasn't so weak I could've saved them!" Sakura screeched, pounding her now chakra infused fist into the wall, punching a hole right through it and into the next room.

Neji knew that things were going to get out of hand if she didn't calm down. He'd figured out her problem, and now there really wasn't anything she needed to talk out; her problem was that she blamed herself for her parents' death, when it wasn't her fault to begin with. She did the best she possibly could, and there was no fault in that.

He saw her rear her arm back in an attempt to punch through the wall again, so, trying to stop more destruction to the Haruno compound, he collected chakra into his fingertips and gently tapped at her wrist before it could move forward, making her punch useless. Quickly he grasped her wrist so that she wouldn't use it against her own home or anything else.

"Sakura, it's all right," attempted Neji, trying to console her again. Consoling young women was not something he was used to.

"No! It's not! If I was stronger they would still be here! They would still be here!" she repeated again and again. It was becoming almost impossible for Neji to hold onto her wrist because she started struggling; all she wanted to do was punch something, make something with form into unrecognizable rubble, but that was proving difficult due to the young man holding on strongly to her wrist.

To keep Sakura from escaping his grasp in favor of turning her home to itty-bitty pieces of wreckage, he wrapped his arms around her shaken form and pulled her into an almost awkward hug, which she of course tried to escape from. Eventually, she stopped struggling and wrapped her arms around Neji's torso, crying into his chest.

"It's all my fault they're dead," she cried out, partially muffled by the fabric of Neji's shirt.

Unsure of exactly what he should do, Neji started to rub small circles on her back until her sobs died down enough that he'd be able to talk to her without shouting over her cries. It was a wonder the children hadn't already woken up…

"Sakura, it's alright," he murmured into her ear. "It's not your fault. You did the best you could do at the time. You did nothing wrong."

Sakura was silent aside from the quiet crying. While she said nothing, she was thankful that Neji was there.

Finally after a couple minutes, Sakura pulled away from Neji, wiping the leftover tears on her sleeve. She sniffled a bit before saying, "Oh, gomen… Your shirt… I—".

"It's fine… How do you feel?" inquired the Hyuga, hoping that she was feeling better about what happened.

Sakura took in a shaky breath before replying, "I—I think a little better… It helps to know that I'm not the only one who knows what happened. Thanks, Neji-kun…", giving him a small smile.

"Neji-kun?" he asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow in mock irritation.

Sakura giggled a little. "Of course. We're friends, right?"

Neji smiled slightly in return. "Of course, Sakura-_chan_. We're friends," he replied.

Sakura hugged him again, feeling a lot more relieved than she had in a long time. "Arigato, Neji-kun," she said again, smiling a little as Neji returned the hug.

_'Why? Why does it feel so _right_ to have her in my arms?'_ the prodigy asked himself, finding that he like the feeling.

"Sakura-chan, you know that you can always talk to me, right?" he asked her, hesitant for her leave his embrace.

Sakura pulled away, nodding her head slowly. "Hai, and I appreciate it… Now, I'm sure you want to get out of that wet shirt. While you get changed, I'll go make breakfast," she offered, starting to walk away.

Neji followed behind her, surprised by the time. They had been sitting there for close to an hour now, and it was obvious as he looked out the window and saw the sun rising.

While he was in his room grabbing a dry shirt, all he could do was think about Sakura.

'_It's amazing that she didn't snap from all of that pent up frustration. I can't believe that she was able to keep up that façade for so long. I suppose that's why she always surrounded herself with her friends, as a way to keep her mind off of it__, but she really should've talked to someone,'_ he pondered, stripping himself of his wet shirt in favor of a dry one.

If there was one thing he realized when Sakura was in his arms in that hug, it was that he didn't want her to be hurt like that again; mental scars were the hardest to get rid of, and he found that his heart constricted at the thought of her having to live with that pain for almost four years.

_'Why do I feel this way? What's happening to me? Could I have perhaps fallen for Sakura?'_

He wasn't sure, but that's definitely what it felt like.

And then there was the matter of the Uchiha… Well, there was no way in the seven layers of Hell that he was going to let Sasuke take Sakura away from him, that is, unless Sakura actually wanted to go with him.

When he finally left his room wearing his dry shirt, he walked towards the kitchen where he knew Sakura would be. He heard the sound of a stirring spoon mixing together something in a bowl, and immediately was curious as to what she was making this morning.

He entered the kitchen to find Sakura mixing together some sort of batter, wearing an apron to keep the mess off of her.

"Oh, Neji-kun, yo," she said, flashing him a small smile.

"Yo," he replied, returning the smile. "Would you like some help?"

Sakura giggled a little, shaking her head. "No, I'm fine in here, but thanks. Why don't you do into the family room and watch a movie? Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," she offered, hearing the sound of a closing door which could only mean one of the kids was up. "Maybe put in a Disney movie, or something. I've got other movies, but I don't really find them appropriate for Taiyo and Hato."

"Disney?" he asked, having never heard of the man before.

"Oh, gomen, I forgot that not many people know about him here. Well, he's a movie maker for kids. All of the movies I have that he made are cartoon, so it shouldn't be hard to find them. I'm sure Taiyo and Hato would like them," she briefed him, adding chocolate chips into the mix in the bowl. "The movies were something brought back from a trading trip. Personally, I love the one called 'Aladdin'. If you want, I'll tell you more about it later."

Neji nodded, making his way out of the kitchen to see who was now awake. His eye caught on a hesitant Hato, who was looking around, almost as if searching for something or someone.

"Ohayo, Hato," greeted the Hyuga almost pleasantly.

Hato was shocked by the sudden voice and turned to look at Neji. "O-Ohayo, Hyuga-sensei… um…"

"Are you looking for something?" he gently asked the young girl, taking notice of her nervousness.

"Um, hai, Hyuga-sensei… Do you know where Sakura-sensei is?" she inquired softly, fidgeting under Neji's gaze.

"Hai, she's in the kitchen making breakfast," he informed her, noticing as her shoulders relaxed a bit. Apparently she was worried that Sakura wasn't there… "Hato, I was just going to put on a movie that Sakura-sensei recommended. Would you like to join me?" he offered, moving towards the family room that was connected to the dining room.

Overcoming her initial shock, Hato nodded her head vigorously. If Sakura-sensei liked the movie, then she wanted to watch it, even if it meant watching it with Hyuga-sensei.

Truth be told, Hyuga-sensei scared her. He was so intimidating, and he always seemed to be emotionless. But he seemed to like Sakura-sensei, and she seemed to like him as well, so he couldn't be all that bad.

The television was on the far side of the room with a couch sitting a comfortable distance away. It seemed large enough for at least five people to sit on comfortably. There was a pile of movies next to the television, almost none of which Neji recognized. Only from the labels on the backing of the movies, which were DVDs by the way, was he able to tell which movie was the one Sakura was talking about.

After finally finding the right DVD, Taiyo and Sakura walked into the room, both carrying two plates of chocolate chip pancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar. Taiyo handed his extra plate to Hato, while Sakura handed hers to Neji, taking the movie from him and putting it in the DVD player.

The children were certainly entertained by the movie, loving the idea that somewhere out in the deserts of Suna, there was a mysterious cave that held great treasures and the ever so mysterious Genie bottle, from which would come a genie who would grant them three wishes.

As the movie went on, Neji noticed that Sakura seemed to relax a lot more, obviously a bit tense from her confession to him earlier. He also recognized the song Aladdin and Jasmine were singing as the one that Sakura was playing on the piano.

The discovery of that brought another small smile to his face. He almost forgot he was going to sing that song with Sakura, but was surprised that he was actually looking forward to it.

**Elsewhere with Junshin:**

The small housecat silently crept through the foliage, carefully tracking the scent of the missing Uchiha. The hawk flew by overhead, keeping a sharp eye on everything surrounding them. Just then, his eyes caught something, just about a hundred meters from where Junshin was scouting.

The hawk let out a high pitched screech, signaling to the neko below that he found something. In order to point out where it was, he circled around it, appearing to other beings and animals as if he was closing in on his prey.

Junshin quickly found the area that the hawk was pointing out, speeding up to show the hawk that she knew the destination.

It was a rotting log cabin, giving the appearance that it had been abandoned for years, but the scent of the Uchiha didn't lie. Neither did the voices inside of the house.

"What do you mean 'dead'?" she heard someone snarl.

"Exactly that, Sasuke-sama, Kagaki-taichou killed her!" reported another voice that was now being drowned out by a wail begging for mercy.

"Please, Sasuke-sama! I don't know what came over me! Have mercy kudasai!" pleaded what could only be known as Kagaki. "W-What are you doing Sasuke-sama?! Nani? No! Please, I—NO!!"

A moment of silence passed after Kagaki ceased his screaming. Junshin heard Sasuke all but growl to his followers, "Let that be a lesson to you all. Consider yourselves lucky that I didn't trap your minds in the Sharingan as well…"

The sound of a door opening inside the cottage got Junshin's attention, and she heard another voice enter the conversation.

"Sasuke-sama! I'm reporting in!" informed the new presence.

"What could you possibly have to report, Kabuto?" inquired the Uchiha coldly.

With her acute hearing, the neko could hear the man known as Kabuto chuckle knowingly.

"These fools gave you the wrong information. Your beloved Sakura still lives and is safely staying at her home with two of the Suna students, the Hyuga, and the Kazekage," he told him, relaying the information. "A genjutsu was placed over these morons to make them think they killed her. I hope you didn't do anything too drastic while I was gone…"

"Hn, nothing at all..." A period of silence went by yet again… "Kabuto, check outside… It seems we have intruders…"

Junshin's ears snapped upright at this. The hawk seemed to hear that as well, as he swooped down and picked Junshin up in his talons, getting airborne again just in time to get out of Kabuto's attack range.

"Alright, tori, get me back to Konoha as quickly as you can!" ordered the small neko, adjusting to a more comfortable position for the long flight. '_Sakura-hime won't be happy to learn about this!'_

**End Chapter**

A/N: Yoshi! How was that chapter? I know, I know, no piano in this one, but I did get a pretty good Neji/Sakura scene in! Neji's just realized that he's falling for Sakura! Yay!

Ja, review kudasai! At least ten before I start on the next chapter!

Ja ne!

-Kaiso-chan


	12. New News to Me

A/N: Yo, my readers! Well, I finally got my Microsoft Word processor up and running. I was on a 60 day trial period originally, and then, when it ran out, I had to buy it, and let me tell you guys, it was very frustrating!

Anyway, I'm very happy with my reviews! Thanks, everyone! So, as a reward, you get an update! Yay!

Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 12:**** New News to Me**

The movie finally ended. Not that it was bad or anything, it was actually quite entertaining, but during the movie Sakura fell asleep, obviously exhausted from her crying and lack of sleep, and now her head was resting in an unsure Hyuga's lap…

Unsure of how to keep the two children entertained until Sakura woke up and released him from the awkward position, he told Hato to go ahead and pick another Disney movie out of the pile of DVDs, to which she happily complied, having enjoyed Aladdin.

Neji vaguely recognized the title as Beauty and the Beast and smiled slightly in remembrance of the song Sakura played the night before.

He knew that while the issue of her parents' death weighed heavily on her conscience, that wasn't the only thing bothering her. He noticed that she had failed to mention the Uchiha in any of her problems, most likely not wanting to talk about that yet. He recalled that Sakura's trip took place after Sasuke left the village, so that must have been her way to get her mind off of it, but it obviously caused more problems than it solved…

'_Oh well…'_ Neji thought to himself. '_She'll tell me what's on her mind when she's ready…'_

He was snapped out of his thoughts when a concerned Hato and Taiyo started speaking to him.

"Hyuga-sensei?" started the shy pig-tailed girl. "Is something wrong with Sakura-sensei?"

"Yeah, Hyuga-sensei! Why is she sleeping in your lap?" demanded Taiyo, whispering so that he didn't wake her up.

Neji sighed, looking at the children softly. "Sakura-sensei is very tired. She didn't sleep well last night. But don't worry. I'm sure she'll be awake and well soon," he replied, dropping his gaze to look at the woman sleeping comfortably in his lap. The sight made him smile slightly; she looked so peaceful and at ease.

"Well, I just hope she's okay…" murmured Hato, returning her attention to the movie, Taiyo following suit almost immediately.

While watching the movie, Neji started absentmindedly stroking the Haruno's hair, not noticing until she started leaning in to his touch. Even then, he just couldn't bring himself to stop, which he found odd.

'_She truly is lovely. I wouldn't be the first to admit that,'_ he thought, taking note of just how soft her pink locks were.

A sharp pecking at the window caught Neji's attention, followed by the irritating sound of claws against glass. The amount of noise was enough to wake Sakura, who took a while to realize who she was using as a pillow… When she finally figured it out, a blush stained her cheeks and she quickly sat up, still tired, mumbling a quick apology before making her way to the window.

A light blush also covered Neji's cheeks, not exactly embarrassed, but a little uneasy about Sakura waking up to find herself resting in his lap. He quickly managed to get it under control by the time Sakura returned, carrying his hawk on one arm while her neko rested in the other.

When their eyes met, all trace of embarrassment was temporarily put aside as they reached a silent agreement.

"Hato-chan, Taiyo-kun, Hyuga-sensei and I will be right back, okay?" Sakura told them, smiling gently.

The only sign of acknowledgement she got from either of them was an impatient nod of the head, signaling that they heard but that they were too wrapped up in the movie to really care.

"Yoshi, Neji, let's go," she said, leading him to her room. Junshin leapt out of her arms in favor of stretching her legs as she ran ahead of them.

When they reached her room, Neji was generally surprised that it wasn't covered in pink; only a select few items in the room had any pink at all. The room itself was a dark navy blue, and the small bed against the wall was barely a lighter shade than that. The light was on, making the room seem brighter in color.

Junshin now rested on the bed, her head resting between her paws. After placing a sealing and soundproof jutsu over her room so they weren't overheard, Sakura acknowledged her summon.

"Yoshi, Junshin, what do you have to report?" inquired the Haruno, trying to hand off the hawk to Neji. Oddly enough, no matter how much Neji tried to coax the bird to come to him, it refused to relinquish its hold on Sakura's arm.

'_How strange… Taka never is comfortable with anyone but me… Not even __Ten Ten__ or Lee… I will have to speak to Fushicho-sama about this…'_ pondered the Hyuga, watching as his hawk, Taka, nuzzled his head against Sakura's free hand.

Junshin sent a slightly jealous glare towards the hawk, but quickly pushed it away as she answered Sakura's question.

"Ja, the Uchiha knows you're alive and well. A man named Kabuto reported this to him… The tori and I were discovered before we could learn anything else…" dutifully reported the neko, sparing a quick glance at the Hyuga behind her.

"A problem, Junshin?" asked Sakura, slightly puzzled by her summon's sudden interest in her teammate.

Junshin's gaze immediately snapped back to meet Sakura's. "Why must we work with a tori vessel?" hissed the housecat bitterly.

'_A 'tori vessel?' What in Kami's name is that cat talking about?' _wondered Neji, narrowing his eyes in the cat's direction.

"And why do you let that bird perch on your arm? You are connected to the neko contract, not the tori," reminded the cat sneeringly.

"That's enough Junshin!" ordered Sakura, raising her voice slightly. "I won't have you insulting my friend! You don't even tolerate Kakashi-senpai because he's in the inu contract! Stop being so disrespectful!"

Junshin hissed angrily again. "My beliefs stand firm, Sakura-hime, no matter what order you give… I have nothing else to say…" With that, Junshin returned to the neko den, frustrated and furious without any good reason according to Sakura.

Sensing the tension the air, Taka flapped his wings slightly in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Gomen, Neji… I really don't know what to say…" started Sakura, putting her head down in shame for her summon's actions as she sat down on her bed.

Neji was silent for a moment, watching as Taka interacted with the medic-nin. The hawk squawked quietly, moving up Sakura's arm so that he could nuzzle her head comfortingly, making her give a small smile. This made the Hyuga smile ever so slightly as well.

"If Taka has no problems with what went on, then I can't say I'm entirely bothered. At least, not with you. I would, however, like to be informed about the point your neko was trying to make," he requested gently, sitting next to the girl on the bed.

Sakura sighed, running her free hand's fingers through her hair. "Well, from what she was saying, she doesn't like you because you're in the tori contract," she replied. "She feels the same way about Kakashi-senpai as well, but I'm not completely sure why. I've always thought that it was because of the whole 'dog-hates-cat' and 'cat-hates-bird' ordeal, but it seems a lot deeper than that. I should probably speak with Koraseru-sama…"

Sakura stood from her bed and began to walk towards her door, which, when opened, dispelled her sealing and soundproof techniques. With Taka still on her arm, Sakura looked back to see if Neji was following her, while asking silently if it was alright that Taka came with her.

The Hyuga nodded his consent to her silent question, also standing from the bed and following her.

"If I know Koraseru-sama, and I'm sure I do, she'll probably want to speak with you as well, Neji," she told him.

Neji nodded again, but this time asked, "How will you summon the tora in these quarters? It wouldn't be smart to leave the children here alone."

Sakura sent a smile his way. "Just follow me. You haven't seen everything in the Haruno compound just yet!" she replied, leading him around the halls of her home until she came upon a set of stairs heading down into the house.

The stairs led into a large basement. The Harunos had used it to store whatever goods they would be taking on their voyages to foreign countries, which was quite a lot. Now that it was empty, Sakura had it turned into a make-shift training gym for techniques that wouldn't destroy anything beyond repair. It was large enough to hold all of her summons, and from what she could tell, all of Neji's as well.

A quick prick on her thumb and a couple of hand signs was all Sakura needed before she slammed her hand to the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," she murmured, waiting patiently for Koraseru to arrive.

Within moments Koraseru was before them, sitting regally.

"Konnichiwa, deshi…" greeted the great feline, acknowledging both her and Neji with a nod of the head.

"Koraseru-sama," returned Sakura, bowing slightly. Neji remained silent, not sure if he would be permitted to speak with the white tiger, while Taka shuffled his wings nervously.

"Junshin was not exactly happy when she returned, deshi. In fact, she was practically cursing your name when she returned. Why is that?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Sakura sat and motioned for Neji to do so as well before answering. "I was hoping that you could tell me that, Koraseru-sama. She seemed a little jealous of this hawk for resting on my shoulder, and then she blatantly insulted Neji-san," she explained, putting the honorific on his name for the moment. "I know that she is not exactly friendly with Kakashi-senpai either, but it was worse when she snapped at Neji-san."

Koraseru nodded slowly, turning her gaze to Neji. "I suppose that you are 'Neji-san', then. I apologize for my disciple for her rudeness," she said, bowing her head towards him as a sign of respect.

"I hold no grudge against the neko," he replied, keeping an even tone as he spoke. "But I would like to know what she meant by 'tori vessel', and why she was so disturbed by me working with Sakura-san."

"Ah," whispered Koraseru. "So that was why… Again, I apologize. By 'tori vessel' she refers to your summoning contract, just like Sakura is a neko vessel. However, it is not a term we prefer to use. It has been known to be insulting, to both summoners and summons," she informed him. "Junshin has always been like that; quick to anger, slow to forgive." She turned to look at Sakura. "She_ is_ jealous, deshi. That hawk is so attached to you, it's unbelievable, really, as it is from Fushicho's contract. As you two saw earlier, we are not known to get along so well."

"But why, Koraseru-sama, is Junshin so jealous? Surely it's not only because I allowed this hawk to perch on my shoulder," inquired Sakura, giggling as the hawk nuzzled her again.

"That. That right there is the reason for Junshin's anger and envy. You are able to get along well with members of other contracts, such as Pakkun from the inu contract, and this hawk from the tori contract. Junshin does not understand this," informed the overgrown neko. "She believes that once you are connected with a contract, you should not acknowledge others. However, her unparalleled hatred towards the tori contract is partially my fault, I suppose…"

"How so?" asked the Haruno, curious.

"I never got along too well with Fushicho… My rivalry with that phoenix has been around since we came into being. Of course, that's not to say that I fully hate him or that he hates me; that overgrown bird's always been willing to cooperate with me…"she told them, closing her eyes in thought. "Junshin must have been around when I was taunting the bird, and therefore she believes that I have no regard for any other summoning contract but my own. It seems that she intends to mimic my behavior, but I intend to fix that, so do not worry, deshi."

"Arigato, Koraseru-sama," thanked the medic, bowing her head again.

"It is nothing. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Neji spoke up suddenly, wishing to ask something of the tora. "Would you mind if I summoned Fushicho-sama in your presence? I have a few questions that I wish to ask him as well, and it is possible that you may be able to help answer then, Koraseru-sama…" requested the Hyuga, bowing fully to show his respect.

"I do not mind in the least, but do not be surprised if we suddenly start ignoring you in favor of a superiority contest. Just say something and you'll have our full attention again," she warned him, giving him a mischievous feline grin.

Neji rose slowly and nodded his head in compliance. He quickly bit down on his thumb and let the blood collect for a moment before letting it connect with the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," was all he said as the great form of the large phoenix appeared in Sakura's basement next to Koraseru.

Koraseru looked warily towards the large bird but, for the moment, said nothing.

"Ah, Neji-san, how good to see you again, and your lovely lady friend as well," greeted the phoenix, bowing his head, which Neji and Sakura returned gracefully. "And to what honor do I owe your presence to, Koraseru?"

The tigress let out something that sounded like a scoff, rolling her eyes at the flashy bird. "Your disciple asked me to stay, Fushicho… He has some questions he wishes to ask," she replied haughtily.

"Ah… Ja, out with it my boy, what do you wish to know?" curiously inquired Fushicho, craning his long neck to look at his apprentice.

"Aa, Taka refuses to leave Sakura-san's shoulder, no matter how much I try to coax him to myself," relayed the white-eyed prodigy. "Why would that be?"

"That's very simple, Neji-san, so much so that I can't believe you haven't figured it out. Taka likes Sakura-san," the legendary bird jokingly replied.

"Hai, Fushicho-sama, I can see that, but Taka has never allowed himself to go to another's side willingly," Neji continued, growing slightly frustrated with his summon.

Sakura smiled sweetly at Taka, stroking his feathers gently with her free hand. "Hai, Taka-kun," she murmured gushingly. "What makes me so special?"

Taka just squawked and leaned into her hand in reply, causing Neji to raise an eyebrow in both confusion and slight joy.

Fushicho sighed quietly. "Ja, Taka never goes to anyone unless he has complete trust in them. What made him warm up so quickly to Sakura-san remains a mystery. Added to the fact that she is in Koraseru's contract makes things even more confusing, but regardless, it's obvious that Taka trusts her with his life," he reported with a happy twinkle in his eye.

Taka screeched in response, only understood by Fushicho.

"Oh? Is that right, Taka?" asked Fushicho ponderingly, gaining what he thought was an ingenious idea.

"What is it Fushicho? What did the small tori say?" inquired Koraseru, suspicious of both birds.

"Hai, Fushicho-sama, what did Taka say?" repeated Neji, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Hm? Oh, it was nothing," he assured them cunningly. "Taka only agreed with me, is all."

"What are you up to, Fushicho?" hissed Koraseru, moving closure to the overgrown bird.

Fushicho craned his neck and whispered in the tigress' ear, "Now, now, Koraseru, I will tell you momentarily, away from the children."

This appeased the tigress for the moment, and she backed away slowly, still eying the phoenix with disbelief. That old bag of feathers was definitely up to something…

"Ja, Neji-san, Sakura-san, we shall take our leave! Come along, Taka!" jubilantly ordered the scheming tori, disappearing in a puff of smoke with both Taka and Koraseru in tow.

A moment of stunned silence passed by as the two ninja tried to figure out what exactly had just occurred.

"Ja, that was unexpected," mumbled Sakura, turning to move towards the stairs.

"I couldn't agree more…" decided Neji, following her back up the stairs. Fushicho was obviously hiding something, and now he had drafted Koraseru and Taka into his plot… The conniving little…

Another moment of silence passed by before Sakura broke it again. "You know, your Taka really is quite sweet," she told him, walking up the last of the stairs onto the ground floor.

Neji scoffed in reply. "Sweet? That bird is anything but sweet around anyone else… I even have problems with him on occasion…" he grumbled almost enviously. "Whenever I summon him to practice with Ten Ten and Lee, he attacks without waiting for an order…"

"Hn… Junshin is worse, believe me… You got lucky that I was between the two of you, otherwise your face would never be the same again," she teased lightly, also having a slight edge of seriousness about her.

Again, it was quiet. As the two were about to reenter the family room, Neji grabbed Sakura's arm, effectively stopping her.

"Neji?" she questioned, looking into his eyes with surprise.

"Sakura, is anything else bothering you?"

Sakura shook her head quickly. "Iie, Neji, I'm fine," she lied, smiling softly. In truth, she was plagued with worries; Sasuke knew she was alive and would probably be coming after her again in the near future, Junshin was furious with her, Koraseru and Neji's summon were plotting something, etc… It was all very stressful.

"Sakura, don't lie to me…" warned the Hyuga narrowing his eyes at her blatant lie. "All I want is to be of assistance."

Sakura bowed her head in shame from being caught. "Gomen… Perhaps when Taiyo and Hato turn in for the night, but not now," she told him, pulling her arm out of his grip and returning to the family room with a happy façade already in place.

**In Koraseru's Domain:**

"Alright, Fushicho," snarled the tigress, furious for having been kept waiting. "What's going on?"

Fushicho stared at Koraseru thoughtfully, answering her question with another question. "Tell me, Koraseru, what do you think of my apprentice?" he asked her smoothly, staring into her sharp eyes.

"The boy, Neji-san? Why do you ask?"

Fushicho chuckled warmly. "Do not tell me that you haven't noticed, my worthy opponent," he replied almost sarcastically. "My vassal Taka has informed me of something quite interesting; deep down inside, my Neji and your Sakura are harboring feelings for each other. In fact, Neji is already starting to realize these feelings," he informed her.

"Care to get to the point, Fushicho?" questioned the exasperated tora.

"Of course… My point is, Koraseru, that I would like to get these two together. I'm afraid that Neji has always been rather cold, you see, and your Sakura has been slowly warming up his heart," he explained. "And I would like you to be the one to assist me in bringing them closer together."

"What's in it for me, Fushicho?" wondered the queen neko.

"The happiness of your own subordinate?" pressed the phoenix hopefully. "Neji seems very eager to keep her happy and safe, that much I could tell from his aura if you hadn't noticed…"

Koraseru pondered his statement a moment longer before answering. "Very well, Fushicho. I will help you with this. I have also examined his aura and have found the same qualities as you," she complied, her tail flicking in mild irritation beside her. "I suppose this means a truce is in order. In answer to your earlier question, I approve of him, but it may take some convincing to get my followers to agree. Now, for my own question; what is your opinion of my Sakura?"

Fushicho nodded his head in agreement to Koraseru's earlier statements, answering, "She is lovely, strong, intelligent, and obviously has a kind heart. You were lucky in having her sign into your contract."

"I couldn't agree more, Fushicho… Ja, let's get to work! We have a lot to do if we want this plan to succeed," she pointed out, standing on her four paws and starting to walk away with Fushicho following behind in the air.

"Isn't there a festival coming up soon in Konoha?" inquired the great bird, causing the two noble beasts to grin maliciously as they plotted for the bringing together of the Hyuga and Haruno.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Wow, this chapter was really hard to write… What do you think, am I pushing it with Neji calling Sakura "Sakura-chan"? Or should I leave it as it is?

Ja, upon doing a little research, I found that a falcon and a hawk are pretty much the same thing… Go figure… Therefore, I have changed the falcon to a raven, just so it's not as confusing and we have a little more variety in birds.

In case you haven't noticed, Koraseru doesn't normally get along well with Fushicho… That's one reason why Junshin is extremely bitter towards the tori contract; because she's been witness to Koraseru's taunting of the bird, and therefore thinks that the two are bitter enemies, making her feel that she should be that way towards all other summons besides other neko, if that makes any sense.

Review, kudasai! At least ten before I start on the next chapter!

Ja mata ne!

-Umi no Kaiso


	13. Kicking the Ball Around

A/N: Yo, my readers! Ja, I'm super excited because a special guest is going to be staying with my family for a week! For those who know of my obsession with Japan, three guesses as to where she's from… ;)

Anyway, Spring Break people! Woo hoo… Yeah, my cousin's going through a tough time with her parents; they fight a lot and it's really a lot for her to deal with. They're most likely going to get a divorce. Joy. She feels terrible, and while she always gets on my nerves, I need to be there for her, ya know?

Moving on… It appears my plot is becoming a bit…well, jumbled. I know what I'm trying to do, but sometimes it takes a while to get there. Generally, most of these chapters are only fillers, but I feel that they're absolutely necessary in establishing the relationship between Neji and Sakura.

The feedback I got for the –chans and –kuns really helped. Therefore, since it was pretty close anyway, I'll keep get rid of "Sakura-chan" unless it really fits the moment, and "Neji-kun" will be used similarly, but probably more often.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 13: Kicking the Ball Around**

"Yoshi, that sounds great. Arigato, TenTen. See you in a bit," promised Sakura, hanging up her phone.

It was growing close to noon, and TenTen had just called to welcome Sakura back to the village after hearing about her departure from Hinata. Knowing that Sakura was keeping a couple of children at her home after returning, she had suggested gathering to practice for their next match and let Taiyo and Hato come watch in order to get them out into the fresh air.

Of course, Sakura had agreed eagerly, wanting to really stretch her legs and get some good training in.

"What was that about?" questioned Neji, walking into the room with Taiyo and Hato on his heels, begging him to let them watch another movie.

"Ano, Taiyo-kun, Hato-chan, don't you want to go out into the village?" prodded Sakura, smiling sweetly while bending down to their level.

"Demo, Sakura, is that really the best idea? Would it be safe?" wondered Neji, raising an eyebrow. Generally speaking, no place was completely safe, but still…

"Of course," replied Sakura. "With all the ninja in this village, plus the ones at the field, I don't think that they could be any safer." She walked into the kitchen with everyone following behind her. "I'll just pack up some lunch and we'll be on our way."

She fixed up a quick bento for everyone, herself included, before rushing to her room to change into her practice outfit. When she returned, she was bombarded with questions from the two academy students.

"Why are you dressed like that?"



"Where are we going?"

"What's going on?"

Sakura smiled at these questions; a genuine smile, though she didn't answer them. The sights that the two saw when they exited the compound put a stop to their questions. Sure, they had seen the things outside Sakura's home, but they had been exhausted and not entirely eager to pay attention.

The sun was shining, like it did in Suna, but not nearly as harshly, and there was no sand whipping about in their faces. Instead, a cool breeze blew by, gently playing with the group's hair. A small ring of native children ran past them, giggling as they played a game of "Ninja".

Neji and Sakura walked side by side, keeping an eye on Taiyo and Hato as they ran ahead and occasionally shouting in order to get them to come back before they started running off again.

Finally, without any problems other than a scraped knee on account of a "possessed tree root", they made it to the training field, where they were met by TenTen, Hinata, Ino, and Ayame.

"Sakura! Welcome home," they greeted, rushing up to give hugs. Man, gone for just over a week and everyone goes nuts. Or maybe they heard about Sasuke…

A few more greetings and welcome backs were exchanged before the ladies finally got to the main topic of their meeting; practice.

"Yoshi, girls, we've got four soccer balls. I brought one for your students in case they wanted to play while we practiced," offered Ayame, grinning in the direction of the Suna natives.

"Arigato, Ayame. I appreciate it," acknowledged the Haruno. "So what're we practicing today?"

Neji stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure of how he should react or even acknowledge everyone else.

Hato had helped Taiyo hobble off to the sidelines after he had suffered from his scrape. She had requested that Sakura not heal it so that she could take care of Taiyo herself. She wanted Taiyo to notice her and this seemed like the perfect time to make it happen. Of course, Sakura was happy to help her, though Taiyo was a bit eager to express his displeasure at not being healed right away…

"We'll be working in pairs today, but that, unfortunately, leaves one of us without a partner… Any volunteers?" asked Ino almost sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest.

A period of silence passed before Sakura stepped forward, grumbling good-naturedly, "Ja, don't all step forward at once…" A smile cracked on her face. "I'll be okay, I'll just work on a few tricks," she told them, grabbing one of the four soccer balls and walking out towards a cardinal corner of the field.

The other four girls paired off, none of them noticing the disappointed look on the rosette's face as she walked away. Neji, however, did notice, and followed Sakura as she left the bento with Taiyo and Hato and kicked the spare ball gently their way.

Neji was left unnoticed momentarily as Sakura started juggling the ball on her knees, but that was immediately resolved as he cleared his throat in order to get her attention. A small smirk was on his face as he realized that he startled her, being able to tell easily as she lost her concentration and dropped the ball.

"Oh, Neji," she gasped, regaining her composure. "Do you need something?"

"Ja, no offense Sakura, demo, I didn't exactly attend this practice to babysit our students," he replied, smiling kindly. "And I noticed that you weren't exactly thrilled at the prospect of practicing alone."

Sakura sighed, sparing a quick glance towards the children who had forsaken their bento momentarily to kick the soccer ball around. They were far enough away where they couldn't hear Neji and Sakura, but regardless, they weren't even paying attention.

"Would you mind if I joined you, Sakura?" he asked when she didn't answer him.

"You play?" inquired the Haruno, now curious.

Neji chuckled lightly. "Iie, I'm afraid I don't, demo, I'm sure I could be made to practice with you," he replied, picking up the ball that she had dropped.

Sakura smiled at the thought, taking the ball from Neji and placing it snugly between her feet.

"Arigato…" A long pause passed by before Sakura spoke again. "Yoshi, Neji, I'm going to be practicing my throw-in, okay? Try and catch the ball, but use your chest or feet, 'kay?" she informed him. While she wasn't doing what was considered a normal throw-in, where you use your hands to throw the ball to a teammate after it goes out of bounds, the one she was trying to perfect wasn't exactly unheard of.

Neji nodded his consent and backed away into the field, trying to get an appropriate distance in between Sakura and himself.

When Neji was far enough away, Sakura made sure that the insides of her feet gripped the ball tightly enough to the point that it wouldn't escape until she wished it to. After she had done so, she propelled her upper body towards the ground, intent on doing a flip throw. (Anyone know what the term for this is?)

The momentum of her body as she flipped forward caused her legs to flip out from under her with the ball tucked safely between her feet. Adding a little more space in between them, Sakura tried to release the ball at the right moment, but her timing was slightly off, resulting in the ball being released, but landing a couple feet away from where she dismounted.

"Kuso…" she grumbled, standing from where she landed. "That happened last time too…" Last time ended exactly the same way, as Sakura had said, but last time she attempted it again, and ended up unconscious from clumsily falling on her head. Not something that she was willing to chance more than once a day.

Neji rushed over, trying to make sure she was okay due to the fact that her landing didn't exactly look comfortable…

He smirked as he watched her stand up. "Was that supposed to happen, Sakura?" he taunted, picking up the ball and holding it under his arm.

"Of course not…" she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "The momentum is supposed to put more power into the ball when it's thrown, but the timing has to be perfect… Last time I tried it I fell and was knocked unconscious…" She playfully stuck her tongue out at him when he mockingly rolled his eyes at her…

Suddenly, her face took on a somber look, signaling that it was an end to their play.

"Neji, will you kick the ball around with me? I want to talk to you…" she told him, fidgeting a little.

While she was happy to be in the presence of her friends that did not mean that she was entirely perky. She did not forget her problems, but instead tried to overlook them or push them away for a short while, but now they were back again.

Neji stopped his teasing and nodded sternly, dropping the ball to the ground and kicking it gently towards the depressed medic.

She passed it back to him, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"How long do you think we have?" she asked him, referring to the Uchiha and the unavoidable encounter that would be sure to happen.

"It's hard to say," he replied, knowing what and whom she was talking about. "If he's smart, he'll lay low for a while and come up with a plan, but since when have we ever known the Uchiha to think things through?"

Sakura now had the ball and was momentarily juggling it on her knees before she passed it back to Neji.

"I'd estimate a month or two at the most. It's most likely that he'll wait and observe you for the time being, and when he finds out your weakness he'll strike…" He paused for a moment. "If you so choose, I will be here to help you, as will your other friends if you let them."

The kunoichi nodded her head gratefully, her body on autopilot as the two shinobi passed the ball around.

After a period of waiting for Sakura to speak, Neji asked, "Is there something else on your mind?", looking concernedly at the girl.

"I was just thinking back to the caravan attack… So many questions have been unanswered for too long…" she whispered, gaining the distant look in her eyes again. "We were so close to Venice, and yet, they would risk drawing attention to themselves… And we weren't the only group of merchants traveling on that path, but possibly one of the only ones with some form of protection… Why us?"

He could see the start of tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, and moved in front of her so that he was the only one who would be able to see.

"I recognized the Otogakure insignia on their headbands, so they followed us all the way to Italy, but why wait that long to attack? Was it chance that we were attacked, or was it planned? None of it makes sense!" Sakura clenched her fists tightly, wanting desperately to take her frustration out on something, but not wanting to draw attention to herself.

Her pass to Neji had a little too much power behind it, providing the Hyuga with an unnatural pain in the inside of his foot. The only indication that he felt any pain was the almost unidentifiable wince as the ball connected.

Her silence after her outburst caused Neji to respond. "We may never know, so to linger on the thought would only disturb you further. Perhaps returning to the place where the event occurred would provide you with the answers you desire," he told her softly, pausing in the automatic passing of the ball.

"You're probably right Neji, but I would never be able to return there alone… It would be too painful…" she replied, fidgeting a little.

"But wouldn't it provide you with a sense of closure? To know that what happened is over with and is all just a bad memory? It happened Sakura, and though I sound harsh, I believe that you need to come to terms with it," he answered sternly.

Sakura was silent a moment longer, taking the time to brush away the wetness in her eyes. It was a dull pain, she noted, that was caused by Neji's words, but she knew that he was right. The longer she put it off, the harder it would be to return to the place of her parents' death.

"I…I understand. And after we are through with this mission, I will request from Tsunade-shishou recovery time in order to visit their final resting place…" she conceded, noticing that saying this took a small weight off of her heavy heart.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, this chapter is generally shorter than my others, but these fillers are hard for me to write, and of course this one was no different. I went back and added a little more about Sakura in the earlier chapters of the story, so that it doesn't seem like this problem, which is greatly contributing to my plot, suddenly came out of nowhere. I will most likely go back and add more, but only when I feel that I need it.

Please review! Your support makes me love this story and all of its fans so much! I foresee a long and successful story by the time this thing is through! I hope you enjoy.

And, to answer and relieve any readers who are concerned about Gaara no longer having a chance with Sakura, don't despair! I will be bringing him back for some Gaara/Sakura fluff! Little hint as to when; he'll return about a week before the festival… HintHintWinkWinkNudgeNudge…

I'm also going to be starting another multichapter story! It'll feature Sakura as a mermaid, but that's about all I'm going to say! Check it out when I get it posted!

-Kaiso


	14. Kima's Report

A/N: OMG! I'm SO sorry! I know it's been a while since I last updated! I joined my school's color guard team, so I've been busy with practice, and then there were my exams that I had to study for. Again, I'm really sorry. Also, I'll be gone through June 21st till the 29th for a vacation with my family. We're going to Vero (sp?) Beach down in Florida.

To anyone who cares, my birthday is/was on June 16th, so happy birthday to me! A nice present from you guys would be awesome reviews for this story!

Well, I guess you guys are really impatient with me, so I'll get the chapter started! Enjoy!;)

**Chapter 14: Kima's Report**

Practice ended somewhat early when Ino was called back to tend to the flower shop and Ayame had to return to the ramen stand to work with her father.

Ten Ten and Hinata stuck around for a short while to talk with Sakura about their next game, but left soon afterwards, having other things to do.

Taiyo and Hato were happily enjoying their bento, having grown tired of playing with the soccer ball, while Sakura laid back on the soft grass to gaze at the clouds; a habit she had picked up from hanging out with Shikamaru. Neji sat next to her, occasionally catching himself staring at the pink-haired medic.

Vaguely he noted that Taiyo and Hato were arguing about something, but couldn't really find himself wanting to care. By no choice of his own, he started listening to their argument.

"Hyuga-sensei is _so _much stronger than Sakura-sensei! Don't even argue, 'cause you know it's true Hato!" remarked the overactive Suna student.

"Nu-uh!" retorted the pig-tailed girl. "Sakura-sensei could beat Hyuga-sensei no problem!" Stubbornly the girl crossed her arms over her chest, speaking more confidently in that one time than Neji had ever heard before.

"Puh-lease! Sakura-sensei isn't even that strong! Hyuga-sensei made her collapse after he _poked_ her!" defended Taiyo, starting to get in Hato's face.

Okay, now he was glad he started listening. The two were arguing about which of their two teachers was stronger, and it was really quite amusing.

"But she got right back up!" claimed Hato, seeming to forget her crush on Taiyo for the sake of the argument. "And they weren't just _pokes_! He practically stabbed her!"

"Grr!" growled Taiyo, turning to Neji. "Hyuga-sensei! Who's stronger, you or Sakura-sensei!?"

The Hyuga was taken aback by the question, not sure how to answer at first. If he were being fair, they were equals, both having a specific power that the other could not control. As for who would win if they got in a fight…

Abruptly Sakura sat up from her cloud gazing, shocking everyone who had started to assume that she was asleep.

"You know, there's an easier way to answer that question than asking Hyuga-sensei," she told them, standing up from her spot and stretching her arms.

"What's that Sakura-sensei?" asked both Taiyo and Hato, eager to know and prove to the other that their idol was the best.

Sakura simply shrugged and pulled out her black gloves from her short pocket, slipping them over her hands and stretching them out. "Neji and I could always spar," she suggested, looking at him and smiling.

At first, all Neji did was stare at Sakura strangely. Eventually, however, he accepted her challenge. He'd never sparred with Sakura before, so he really didn't know which one would end up victorious. He was pretty confident though…

"Oh will you Sakura-sensei!?" exclaimed Hato excitedly, her eyes sparkling. Taiyo was doing something similar to Neji.

"Of course Hato-chan," ensured Sakura with a smile. "Why don't you take Taiyo up to the stands so that you won't get hurt, okay?"

That was all it took for Hato to grab Taiyo by the arm and drag him up to the stands, leaving Sakura and Neji to themselves.

After setting the rule that no summons were allowed, they moved to opposite ends of the training field, leaving a large amount of space in between them.

"Don't go easy on me Neji!" shouted Sakura from her end of the field, tightening her gloves.

Neji smirked as the message reached him. "I wouldn't dream of it Sakura!" he returned, anxious and excited to start.

From the stands, Taiyo and Hato could be heard, both shouting at once, "Begin!" and thus starting the match.

At first, neither of them moved, waiting for the other to do the honors while at the same time sizing up their opponent. Finally, after getting impatient, Sakura started off, pulling her fist back and slamming it against the ground, sending boulders and dust everywhere in a contained area.

This maneuver gave her cover as she made her way closer to the Hyuga. Taiyo was speechless, having never before seen Sakura's display of strength before, whereas Hato was cheering for her sensei, not appearing to be phased in the least.

At first, Neji was startled by the raw power brought on by Sakura's attack, but knew that he had to act quickly if he was to counterattack in time.

"Byakugan!"

The kekkei genkai of his clan was activated and used to scan the area for the hidden medic nin, finding her crouching low on the ground, waiting.

While Neji found this strange, he charged in after her, using the knowledge of her location to his advantage. Sakura sensed him coming and quickly leapt out of the way as he was about to land a blow to one of her chakra points.

Swiftly she pulled a kunai out of her waistband and threw it at him to get him off of her tail, but he simply avoided it while still moving towards her.

The dust began to settle and now Taiyo and Hato could see what was going on. From where they were they could see Sakura with Neji fast approaching her. Her hand was glowing green, they noted, and they were extremely curious as to why Sakura was using her medical chakra to attack; they'd only ever seen her use it when healing Churitsu.

Sakura moved in closer so that she might fight with Neji hand to hand, even though that was considered Neji's specialty. With ease she avoided many of his blows, occasionally swiping at him with her concentrated chakra scalpel when she'd she an opening, but he always managed to avoid it.

"You can't keep this up forever Sakura-chan," taunted the Hyuga, smirking.

Sakura didn't reply, too busy focusing her attention on avoiding being hit by Neji's Jyuken style.

Unknown to Neji, another Sakura, the real one, was lurking underground, ready to execute the Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu that she adopted from Kakashi. Neji, from the time Sakura's fist met the ground as she shattered the earth, was fighting a shadow clone.

Tensing himself, Neji felt the ground shifting underneath him. With quick reflexes he jump, startling the clone and dodging Sakura's jutsu altogether. As he descended, he spun and kicked the kage bunshin, his foot laced with chakra. As he connected, the clone vanished, leaving only the real Sakura.

"Wow!" shouted Taiyo, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Hyuga-sensei, that was awesome!"

Hato was cheering for Sakura of course, after seeing the jutsu. The shadow clone was unexpected, as was her entrance from under the ground.

Neji rushed at Sakura, intent on proving that he was the stronger of the two of them, when the Haruno formed a hand sign. By the time Neji reached Sakura and attempted to strike her, she started to fade away in wisps of a smoke-like substance.

Shocked, he never noticed that a tree was growing behind him until the roots and branches wrapped around his body, effectively trapping him.

"_**Hehehe… I've got you Neji,**_" came a voice from nowhere.

Struggling against the roots was proving futile as he noticed that the voice belonged to Sakura. The answer came to him almost instantly; he was trapped in Sakura's genjutsu, a feat in itself. Those with Byakugan were rarely affected by genjutsu, meaning Sakura's was extremely powerful.

With practiced motions Neji twisted in the trees grasp, managing to free his hand somehow and wrap it around Sakura's wrist as she began to materialize out of the tree with a kunai in hand.

"On the contrary Sakura-chan, I've got you," he whispered, feeling the genjutsu begin to fade away.

It was one thing being caught in a genjutsu, but Neji knew how to avoid staying that way. His eyes were able to see the opponent, even in the genjutsu, so as he's said before, you can't fool his eyes. He knew Sakura was right behind him, so all he had to do was escape the "tree" to end the illusion.

Seeing the real Sakura's wrist enclosed in his hand, he quickly reacted to how she tried to pull away, tightening his grip and grabbing at her other wrist to prevent her from retaliating with them.

He smirked, seeing as the Haruno had nowhere to go, but was taken aback by her own smirk. Using the way he was tensed and tightly holding onto her wrists, Sakura pulled her lower body up from under her and kicked him in the chest, her feet loaded with her chakra.

Her attack had its desired effect, causing Neji to release her wrists as he was sent flying in the opposite direction. Using the momentum to her advantage, Sakura was able to manage a back flip, landing gracefully on her feet.

Instead of landing on his back like Sakura had hoped he would, Neji was able to pull off a back hand spring and land on his feet with almost no effort.

While under normal circumstances being so far away would have caused him to be at a disadvantage, he had been working on a new attack to cover a distance, developing it on his own.

He concentrated the chakra to his palms and thrust outward, aiming towards Sakura, shouting, "Hakke Kusho!"

It happened so fast that Sakura didn't have time to react, added to the fact that she'd never seen such an attack before. The almost invisible attack hit her dead on, and because she wasn't prepared for it she was knocked flat on her back.

"No! Get up Sakura-sensei!" shouted Hato, ignoring Taiyo bragging and cheers for his idol.

Sakura attempted to get up, but something heavy was pressing down on her body all of a sudden. She finally realized that it was Neji that was on top of her, pinning her body down with his own.

"Hn. Looks like I win Sakura," taunted the Hyuga, the beginnings of a smile pulling at his lips.

"Not really Neji," disagreed the rosette, her chakra filled finger grazing his revealed skin. Her Ranshinsho fried his chakra system, leaving him unable to move correctly. This eventually resulted in him collapsing on top of her, knocking the breath out of her body.

"Who won?!" yelled Taiyo and Hato from the sidelines, running to up them now that the battle was over.

"Tie," both grunted for different reasons.

Neji's body kept Sakura from moving her arms, and the Ranshinsho prevented Neji from rising. The two were also left in a very compromising position.

"Taiyo-kun, Hato-chan, a little help kudasai…" grunted Sakura.

"Ah, hai!" they both said, rushing to their sides to lift Neji off of Sakura.

Once they succeeded in doing so, Sakura reversed her technique, allowing Neji to once again have power over his limbs.

"Ja, that was fun Neji! We should do it again some time," suggested Sakura, wiping the sweat from her brow and removing her black gloves.

The Hyuga nodded his head, a small smile on his face. "I agree. Maybe after things calm down a bit."

"Hyuga-sensei! That was—Hey, what's that?" Taiyo exclaimed, pointing off into the distance.

"What's what?" asked Sakura, looking into the direction that Taiyo was pointing. She couldn't see anything. Wait! Something's out there; a dust cloud? It was moving towards them at an alarming speed too.

"That's—That's Kima!" she noticed, standing abruptly. "Something's wrong… He's not moving as fast as he usually does." She sounded worried, Neji noted, reaching after her as she started running towards her feline comrade.

"S-Sakura-hime!" called Kima, starting to slow down now that Sakura was nearby. "S-Sakura-hime!" Above him Neji's raven flew, carrying a long and large object with it.

"Kima, what happened?!" demanded the kunoichi, catching him when he collapsed from exhaustion, or possibly something else.

The raven, Karasu, dropped the thing in its beak, revealing it to be a snake, or more specifically, an oversized sand viper. The hebi had its eyes clawed out and it didn't move when it fell, making Sakura realize immediately that it was dead.

"I-I got bit… We were scouting and—and the tori saw something. I went to see what it was when—when it jumped out at me. We were able to kill it, but—but it managed to bite me on my leg," he relayed, panting heavily.

Sakura's hands glowed green as she took the dead snake and extracted some of the leftover venom from its fangs, looking around for some common place herbs. She found what she needed and grabbed a larger rock and a small one, not having anything else to ground them up in.

By the time Neji and the children caught up, Sakura force-fed the mixture to the exhausted cheetah in order to nullify the poison. She then grabbed her medicinal pouch from her side, taking out the Naosu Mi and uncapping the vial.

Her spar with Neji nearly exhausted her chakra stores, so she had no other choice. The bite wound was deep, and the poison had ensure that the blood wouldn't clot, meaning that it was still bleeding. The fact that Kima had run _full-speed_ from _Suna_ only meant that Kima was going into the danger zone.

"Sakura, don't you thing that using that is a bit drastic?" asked Neji, worried about how far Sakura was going to help the large neko.

"It's this or Kima dies," growled Sakura, spreading the mixture over her fingers. "That sand viper was Sasuke's." Obviously death was a sensitive topic for the rosette.

"The—The hebi was stationed there to—to ambush Gaara-sama. He—He plans to leave you alone," murmured Kima, leaving the area in a cloud of smoke in order to return to the den and rest.

And then, Sakura's world went black…

**End Chapter**

A/N: Ja, I suppose this chapter is short considering how long I made you guys wait. Again, I apologize. Gomen!

Review kudasai! The next chapter probably won't be up for a couple of weeks, but like I said, I've made you wait longer than that.

At least ten before I even consider starting the next chapter!

-Kaiso-chan


	15. Festival Woes Part 1

A/N: Hey readers! I'm back from vacation, and let me just say that I'm _**so**_ happy to be home… We drove for about eighteen hours on the trip home (all in one day) and didn't get back until 4:30 in the morning… Yeah, I'm running on slap-happiness and sugar, so watch out! JK, but still, I'm exhausted!

While at the beach we saw a manta ray. It was about twenty yards out from the sand where I was standing. Everyone high-tailed it out of the water because when a wing would flap out of the water it looked like a shark. Added to the fact that it was **huge**, it was something amazing that I'll remember for a long time.

Now for the story, I'm skipping ahead a bit. I'm getting really tired of putting chapters into the story that really have nothing to do with it at all. I'm sure you are all really tired of reading them as well. So I'll just do us all a favor and jump ahead. I'll summarize what happens, so no worries. ;)

Also, I've been thinking that the last line in the last chapter could be taken the wrong way. So, to clear that up, Sasuke intends to leave her BY HERSELF! Have no one so that he's all she has left, but obviously that plan is a little too complicated.

Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 15: Festival Woes (Part 1)**

Time passed by quickly for everyone in the Haruno residence. Preparations for Konoha's Spring Festival were already starting, even though the event was just over a week away.

Taiyo and Hato, as well as all of the other academy students from Suna, were still taking up residence with their respective hosts. Suna had yet to be deemed safe for them and many were yearning to return to their families.

Hato and Taiyo had taken to calling their pink-haired hostess "Sakura-onechan" after hearing other children, such as Konohamaru, call her as such. Neji became "Oniisan" shortly after that.

Neji and Sakura had gotten along quite well in that span of about two months. He was able to get her to open up a little more and comfort her afterwards, therefore strengthening the growing friendship and bond between them.

That's not to say that no romantic feelings hadn't arisen; in that span of time Neji had admitted to himself that he liked Sakura, as more than a friend that is, but could never bring himself to say so out loud. Even so, he still intended to ask her if she would accompany him to the festival.

As for Sakura, she was dealing with a similar problem. Hey, it wasn't her fault that Neji was absolutely gorgeous, and when he opened up he had a winning personality. She was easily struck by the feeling of infatuation, but she couldn't help but wonder if that was all it was; this feeling, it was different than what she had felt for Sasuke. This feeling seemed stronger, more primal, and yet altogether unknown. She had no idea how to respond to these feelings. After all, when she admitted to Sasuke what she felt for him he knocked her out cold and left her on a bench…

Both hid their feelings exceptionally well; neither suspected the other of what they felt, but perhaps that was because they were too busy trying to keep their own feelings in check. Taiyo and Hato, however, saw right through them, and were downright ecstatic about it.

As for Sasuke, they heard nothing from him or about him since Sakura's blackout. She never wanted to talk about the event after it happened, not even to Neji, who would pry and pester her about it, but 

every time he tried she would end up locking herself in her room for certain periods of time until she was capable of keeping calm.

She was unconscious for the rest of the day and throughout the night when it happened, which worried everyone greatly, but when she finally did wake up she seemed fine.

A few days after that incident Neji fulfilled his promise to sing with Sakura, making a complete fool of himself but feeling as if the whole thing was worth it when Sakura smiled and laughed afterwards.

Currently, the four were waiting at the gates of Konoha for Gaara to arrive. He had sent a letter ahead a few days ago informing Tsunade of his arrival while also inquiring if it was alright for him to take up residence with Sakura again.

"Sakura-onechan, when will Gaara-sama get here?" whined Taiyo, clutching at her skirt and looking up at her face.

Hato did the same. "Hai, Sakura-onechan! We've been waiting forever!"

Sakura giggled at their antics. "It's only been a few minutes," she chided, patting their heads affectionately. "You two could always play a game."

"Hai!" they squealed, releasing their grip on her skirt.

"Taiyo-kun, let's play 'Sleeping Beauty'!" suggested Hato, excited. Over the weeks she had really come out of her shell, getting more impulsive when it came to Taiyo. "I'll be Sleeping Beauty and you can be my prince!"

"Ugh! Do I have to kiss you?" asked Taiyo, a look of disgust crossing his face. "'Cause there's no way I'm gonna kiss a girl!"

"Demo Taiyo-kun!" pleaded Hato, giving him the all famous puppy eyes. She certainly was a deceptive little girl… Already she could see his resolve wavering…

"N-No way!"

"Please?"

"Oh look, I think I see Gaara-sama," interrupted the silver-eyed genius, having grown tired of their little argument while Sakura stood beside him laughing at how adorable the two were.

"Where?!" both replied, forgetting all about the game of Sleeping Beauty.

A gust of wind blew a cloud of dust and sand in their faces, making them tightly close their eyes to avoid getting anything in them.

Behind them the sand and dust began to take shape, at first it was only a blob of matter, nothing with shape. As it began to form it wrapped around Sakura, finally becoming what it was meant to be; the 

redheaded Kazekage of Sunagakure, Gaara. Now that the sand had stopped swirling everyone opened their eyes to see the normally reclusive shinobi hugging their rosette kunoichi quite affectionately.

"It's good to see you again Cherry-chan," greeted Gaara teasingly, using his own nickname for her.

Surprised, it took Sakura a moment to return the hug, but she did and did so happily. Gaara was never one to willfully have physical contact with anyone, so this was definitely a pleasant revelation.

"The same to you Panda-chan," returned the emerald-eyed kunoichi, smiling broadly as they released each other from the hug.

Neji watched the exchange with distaste. He couldn't quite describe what he was feeling at the moment, but it felt terrible, as if something was clutching his heart. '_Could this be jealousy?' _he wondered briefly, narrowing his eyes because of the look Gaara was giving Sakura. '_But why should I be jealous? She has the right to hug anyone she wants,'_ he justified just as quickly, brushing away the feeling. While he had feelings for Sakura, he wasn't quite sure how strong they were, or even if they warranted his jealousy.

"Gaara-sama!" came the joyous shouts of the two kids, happy to see their village leader. "Is it safe to go back now?" they asked, their eyes shining with hope.

The Kazekage's face became a bit solemn. "There has been nothing to prove that it isn't, so we shall be returning after the festival. I do not wish to overstay our welcome," he replied, staring down at the two with something akin to compassion.

"Oh, Gaara-kun, really they're no trouble at all," assured Sakura, smiling at her red-headed friend.

Neji noticed that Gaara smiled at his rosette kunoichi. '_My kunoichi? Why would she be mine? We are only friends, and surely she would never see me in that light…' _Gaara's smile in itself bothered him; Gaara **never** smiled. Meaning that Sakura was someone special to the Tanuki-Jinchuuriki…

"Ja, Gaara-sama, Tsunade-sama is waiting for you so we should get going," reminded Neji, not wanting to hear or see the look on Gaara's face or what he had to say to Sakura.

Gaara's smile vanished as he looked to the Hyuga, nodding his head in acknowledgment.

Yes, Sakura was a _very_ special person to the Kazekage…

**-Later in the Evening-**

"And then Sakura-onechan kicked the ball so hard, it knocked the person on the other team down and went into the goal! Isn't that awesome Gaara-sama!?" relayed Taiyo, speaking of one of the Shinobi Soccer games he went to see when Sakura played.

It was now dinner time and Sakura had prepared a special meal for her guest, using the time when Gaara was speaking with Tsunade to prepare the meal.

Tonight was spaghetti and meatball night, much to the joy of Taiyo and Hato who hadn't had the spaghetti Sakura made since their first night in her compound.

By offer of the Hyuga, Neji was helping her prepare the meal, which took much longer to make than the previous time due to the slow cooking meatballs. Together they spent the better part of three hours in the kitchen while their foreign wards entertained themselves with another movie.

By the time Gaara had returned, dinner was ready and being brought out to the table. Without missing a beat, Gaara grabbed one of the heavier bowls from Sakura and placed it where she directed on the table.

Currently they were all sitting together around the dining table swapping stories.

"Hai Taiyo, that is very remarkable. By the sound of it, Sakura-chan, that was an astonishing performance. I'm sorry I was not there to see it for myself," regretfully stated the redhead, locking eyes with his emerald-eyed host.

Sakura blushed and giggled at the praise. "Really I didn't do much. If Ino hadn't distracted that defender the ball wouldn't have gotten through."

"Nonetheless," Gaara continued, admiring her modesty. "I still would've liked to witness it."

Neji had to roll his eyes at Gaara's blatant attempt at flirting. Much to his relief no one noticed, but he couldn't help but wish someone did. Maybe then the flirting would cease…

The Hyuga almost sighed in relief as the dinner came to an end; he couldn't take much more of an out of character Kazekage, especially when it concerned Sakura.

Gaara had helped Sakura clear off the table before Neji even had a chance to offer. Once Taiyo and Hato ran off to do something else he released his pent up frustrations in a long, drawn-out sigh, closing his eyes as he did so. Now that that was over with, Neji got to his feet and assisted in the cleanup, grabbing a couple plates and walking towards the kitchen.

As he got near the door he could hear Gaara speaking with Sakura again. "Would you allow me to escort you to the festival?" he heard, almost dropping the plates he was holding in his surprise. That surprise was soon overcome with anger; HE was supposed to ask Sakura to the festival, not Gaara!

Well, hopefully Sakura had the nerve to say-

"Of course! I'd love to Gaara!"

Damn it all…

He waited a few more moments before walking into the kitchen so as not to raise the suspicion that he'd been eavesdropping. He glared at the redhead as he walked through the door, but it immediately disappeared when he realized that Sakura was watching him and frowning in disappointment.

Later that night as Gaara was setting up what few belongings he brought with him and prepared for bed, the rosette confronted her long-haired friend about the hateful expression he had sent Gaara's way earlier that evening. They were talking it over in his room.

"What was that all about?" she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest in an act of annoyance.

"What do you mean?" he almost growled, knowing full well what she was referring to but having to remind himself that she didn't know that he had heard their exchange beforehand.

"What was with the evil-eye you sent Gaara's way after dinner?" she reiterated, rolling her eyes at his obvious attempt of ignorance. "I think it was a little uncalled for."

"It was nothing," he muttered, breaking eye-contact with her in favor of looking at an increasingly interesting chair in the corner.

"I don't think it was nothing…" she intoned, staring at him intently, obviously not leaving until she got the answer she wanted. "Would it have anything to do with what you heard at the door?"

That got his attention again; his head snapped back up so that he could meet her gaze again, obviously surprised.

"I sensed you outside the kitchen. It was pretty hard not to by the way your chakra was flaring. I don't think Gaara-kun really noticed though; he was a bit distracted…" she said by way of answer, taking a seat on his bed as she let out a breath.

Neji said nothing as she revealed this to him, almost too embarrassed to do anything at all. Instead he opted to listen as she continued to talk, sitting down right next to her on the bed, so close that their thighs were touching.

"I just don't get why you acted that way. You know Gaara's only my friend, so why would you—hmrmph!"

He didn't know what made him do it; it was simply impulsive. One moment he was sitting there listening to her talk and the next she was silent due to the fact that his lips were on hers…

At first she tried to fight it, the unexpectedness of it fueling her reaction, but one of his hands was fisted in her hair, holding her closer and unable to get away while his other arm was wrapped around her back, pulling her to his chest. Eventually, the tantalizing way his lips moved over hers made her surrender to the kiss.

The Hyuga was a little dismayed when she didn't respond at first and was about to break the contact when he felt her shyly attempt to return the action, unsure of how to approach his dominating orifice. The urgent need to have this contact was drastically lowered as she responded, and therefore so was direness of his overbearing kiss. He slowed down to Sakura's speed and kept it there until the need for air was too great to ignore any longer.

Reluctantly he pulled away, opening his eyes slowly when he never even realized they had closed. He searched her own freshly opened eyes for any signs of negative feelings such as anger, pity, or even regret, but found none of those. Instead all he saw was surprise, maybe a spark of joy, but it was clear her emotions were completely clouded over with the shock.

"Maybe I wanted to be the one to take you to the festival."

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, not sure how to rate that last little scene, but yeah, they kissed. Let me know what you think of how that went. The next chapter will focus on the festival, but will probably be in two more parts. Gaara WILL be taking Sakura to the festival, so Gaara/Sakura fans, HAVE NO FEAR! You'll have your moments.

Please review to this chapter. Keep in mind that NOT all of this was written under my impaired judgment brought on by no sleep, so I WAS in the right state of mind for most of it! ;)

REVIEW!!

-Kaiso-chan


	16. Festival Woes Part 2

A/N: Hey guys! Glad to be back with my next chapter! Oh, I'm so psyched! I'm one-third of the way finished with my summer reading assignment! _Lord of the Flies_, ugh! So boring! Anyway, thanks for the reviews! I'm very happy with my feedback!

So, who thinks they can get me over the 200 mark!? O.o PLEASE! GET ME OVER THAT MARK!! This is seriously the most popular story I've ever written. Thanks everyone!

So, let's see, after Festival Woes is done and over with, I'd say about five or six more chapters of this story are left… Maybe a couple more than that. I don't want this story to go on and on forever, or else it'll get boring… And I am personally SO excited to get my first multichapter story completed!

Anyway, enjoy this chapter! Should prove to be interesting. ;)

**Chapter 16: Festival Woes (Part 2)**

After the kiss, Sakura had done her best to avoid the Hyuga taking up residence with her, which proved extremely difficult since they were temporarily living together…

It was a week after that special event, meaning that it was the night of the festival. Throughout the week, Sakura was extremely disoriented, especially when Neji was near her. Whenever he'd say something to her, anything at all, she'd blush, simply because she heard his velvety voice.

The kiss thoroughly confused her. She had no idea what to think or how to even talk to Neji after that. What about her feelings for him? Could she say that she liked him that way? Well, maybe a little, but how much?

At the moment, she was in her room, preparing for the festival. She was still attending the event with Gaara, and had pulled out a gorgeous kimono from her closet. The silk was cerulean blue, with strips of white and pink cutting across it, reminding her almost of a watercolor painting. White cranes seemed to flutter along the fabric, imprinted in the design. Her obi was a slightly darker shade of pink than her hair, the same shade that was on her kimono, and was wrapped snuggly around her ribcage, resting lightly upon the first curve of her hips.

Her hair was pulled back into a simple bun, a couple of poison-tipped, and painted, senbon serving as her hair decorations. Just because it was a festival didn't mean that she couldn't go prepared for a fight.

Under her kimono she wore her normal shinobi clothing, in case the need to fight required her to be in something a bit more manageable. Her weapon pouch was secured and hidden directly underneath her large obi.

Taiyo and Hato were to stay either with her or Neji throughout the festival, ensuring that they were protected in case of emergency. They were dressed rather cutely, Hato in one of Sakura's old kimonos, and Taiyo had surprisingly brought a formal boys' kimono from his home.

Finally slipping on her black zori sandals, Sakura grabbed a fan imprinted with the same style of crane that she wore on her kimono and held it softly in her hand, using her other to open her door and exit her room.

As soon as she set foot outside the boundary of her room she was met with the shocked eyes of her escort, the man she was avoiding, and her two charges, all staring at her with wonder and amazement.

She blushed shyly at the attention she was receiving, moving her fan in front of her face to hide her blush.

"Wow Sakura-neechan!" exclaimed Hato, looking up at her mentor happily. "You look so pretty!"

Sakura removed the fan and smiled down at the young girl, crouching down low enough so that she was now eye-level with her. "Arigato, Hato-chan. You look very pretty too, doesn't she Taiyo-kun?" She glanced at the boy teasingly, holding back a giggle as the young child blushed furiously and looked away without answering.

Neji and Gaara were stunned by how gorgeous the rosette looked. There were simply no words they could come up with to describe her; she was simply enchanting.

After the kiss, Neji had noticed that Sakura had been avoiding him, and it hurt slightly for reasons unknown to him. Did she regret it? He hoped not. He didn't want to risk what there was of their friendship simply because he couldn't control his urges.

He glanced over at Gaara, who politely entwined his arm with hers, and glared at him. As Lee would say, Gaara was his "Rival in Love". Yes, the Hyuga had concluded regally, he had started to love Haruno Sakura, but if Gaara swooped in before he could reveal this to her, he'd never have a chance…

"You both look very nice too, Gaara-kun, Neji," she said to them, smiling and blushing again.

As she said that, Neji couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart …

**-At the Festival-**

In the background was the traditional beating of the taiko drums and koto, setting a jovial mood for the event. Vendors were everywhere, trying to sell their merchandise or get people to play their games and win their prizes.

Sakura, Taiyo and Hato were each enjoying a sweet ichigo daifuku (a soft round mochi –rice cake-stuffed with a whole strawberry), savoring the tart strawberry inside. Gaara walked alongside the Haruno, his face impassive as they walked the crowded streets, while Neji walked slightly behind the medic, watching her with a forlorn look in his eyes, but his face betraying nothing.

Taiyo and Hato were talking amongst themselves, not heard by their supervisors due to the noise level.

"So who should she pick?" asked Hato, nibbling her mochi quietly. From the past couple days Gaara had spent with them, they were able to figure out that, not only did Neji like Sakura, Gaara did too.

Taiyo shrugged, swallowing what was left of his sweet treat. "I don't know," he replied, frustrated. "Sakura-neechan clearly likes Niisan, but Gaara-sama like Sakura-neechan. If Neechan liked Gaara-sama too she'd probably move to Suna and spend more time with us," he said almost dreamily. He really liked spending time with Sakura, and felt that it would be great if he'd always be able to see her.

"Demo… What about Niisan?" prodded the pigtailed girl, keeping her voice low so that no one would hear them. "You said that Sakura-neechan liked him too, and I heard her tell him that she only liked Gaara-sama as a friend the other night!"

Taiyo wiped away whatever was left of the ichigo daifuku from his mouth, unknowingly dirtying his haori.

"And if Sakura-neechan liked Gaara-sama, Niisan would be upset," she continued on, still nibbling away at her treat.

"Yeah…" agreed the nine-year old, sighing heavily.

Hato sighed again, taking a slightly bigger bite of her slowly disappearing mochi. "I guess I'll just ask Sakura-neechan when we go back to her house tonight," she resolved, smiling a little. Her teeth were covered with the red skin from the strawberry, making Taiyo start to laugh uncontrollably. "Huh? What? What's so funny Taiyo-kun?"

As Taiyo's laughter escalated, he grabbed the attention of Gaara, Neji and Sakura, all of whom looked at him with amusement and slight confusion.

"I don't get it!" she exclaimed to Sakura, trying to show her how it happened. "All I did was smile and he started to laugh! Like this, see?" She smiled for her pink-haired sister, strawberry still covering her teeth.

Seeing this, Sakura also started to laugh, showing the two confused males next to her what was so funny. Gaara's gaze softened a bit at seeing the picture Hato presented, but he did not laugh or smile. Neji, on the other hand, couldn't suppress the chuckle brought on by Hato's brightly colored teeth and the contagious mirth that Sakura exuded.

"What!?" she exclaimed again, growing frustrated with the lack of answers.

Finally, taking pity on her, Sakura led her to a stand that specialized in distortion mirrors, taking her to one that gave the clearest image and showing Hato her reflection as she smiled again.

"…!"

A deep blush covered the young girl's cheeks as she saw why everyone was laughing. Quickly she moved her tongue over her teeth, effectively removing the bits of strawberry much to her relief.

"Ne, Hato-chan," giggled Sakura, kneeling down and smiling at the mortified child. Immediately she stuffed what was left of her mochi into her mouth, briefly chewing it before opening, her mouth still filled with at least half of the sweet. "Dwo I hwove shmonthin in my teeph?"she asked, her speech slightly impaired due to the food remaining in her mouth.

Hato instantly forgot her embarrassment as she saw Sakura's teeth covered, not only with strawberry, but the soft dough of the mochi. She clutched her stomach as laughter overcame her, relieved to know that she wasn't the only one who had a problem with the little bits of cake.

As Sakura walked Hato back to the group, after removing all bits of the strawberry pasty from her teeth, Neji came up next to her, having seen what Sakura had done.

"Why did you do that?" he asked her, genuinely surprised by her actions, yet feeling a sense of pride well up in his chest as he saw her interaction.

Sakura simply smiled at him, replying, "It happens to the best of us. Why not turn the limelight off of her embarrassment and on to mine? It made her feel better, and I had a little fun."

For a moment, as Sakura kept walking alongside the redhead, Neji was both motionless and speechless, the works of a small smile making its way on to his face.

**-Tsunade's Office-**

"And the sooner you finish these up, the sooner you can get down to the festival and get your sweetened white sake," prompted Shizune, ignoring the annoyed glare coming from her mentor and placing another pile of paperwork on the Godaime's desk.

"Shizune, do you-"

The raven-haired apprentice cut her off before she had time to persuade her. "Paperwork first, sake later, Tsunade-sama," she stressed, as if talking to a child who wanted ice cream before dinner. "And just think, when you get it done tonight, there won't be nearly as much tomorrow." With a large grin and a wave, Shizune left the office, opting to go to her own to finish up some last minute assignments.

The blonde then presumed to bash her head against the table, growling harshly when she stopped. She glared at the seemingly harmless papers on her desk, knowing that it would be some time before she would be able to venture down to the festival to get her special sake.

Finally resolving to pick up her quill pen and get started while it was still in the PM, she grabbed the first piece of paper and scanned over its contents. '_Trading of our lumber for Lightning's oil? No brainer on that one… Of course we want their oil!'_

When her door opened again, she simply ignored it, supposing it was Shizune coming in to make sure she was actually doing her work. '_When my sake's at stake, of course the paperwork will be done…'_ she growled in her mind, obviously not welcoming the distraction when it took the time away from the work, in turn taking time away from her drinking.

Absently she waved her hand, trying to shoo away whoever decided to bother her. "I'm doing the work, just leave me to it…" she hissed, dipping her quill in the bottle of ink.

"Oh, but Tsunade-sama," a smooth voice drawled. "I've come with an offer I think you'd be interested in hearing." The individual's chakra fluctuated, finally grabbing the Hokage's attention.

The blonde gasped in surprise, looking up only to stare into blood red, barely taking note of the sound of heels hitting the tile.

**-Back with Sakura-**

"Gaara-kun, using your sand to manipulate the trajectory of the ring is definitely cheating," strained the Haruno, giggling as the Kazekage continued to deny it. Oh well… He had won her this adorable stuffed tiger…

"It's only cheating if you're caught," he insisted huffily. "If not, it's only taking advantage of your abilities."

"Hai, demo…"

Out of the blue, a shinobi clad in a Sunagakure uniform appeared slightly behind the insomniac, whispering something into his ear. She saw Gaara nod, and the shinobi disappeared, leaving no sign at all that he had been there.

"Gomen," he sighed reluctantly. "Something's been brought to my attention that I must take care of. I will return shortly."

Sakura tried to protest, but before she could even get a single word out of her mouth he had disappeared in a whirl of sand, heading towards Kami-sama knows where.

As soon as he was gone, she let out a sigh… So far, the night had been a bit dull, aside from the strawberry incident. While Gaara had won her her tiger, it hadn't been the night she had been looking forward to…

'_Is it because of Neji?' _she wondered, clutching at her stuffed tora's fur.

'_**Ja, he certainly doesn't help matters much, now does he?' **_threw in her inner, seeming to sigh as a reflection to Sakura's mood.

Neji had taken Taiyo and Hato to get another sweet festival treat, after long periods of pleading from the two. He had left only minutes ago and should return in a couple more.

'_I'm so confused…' _she thought, clenching her eyes shut. '_Do I like him like that? Does __**he**__ like me like that?'_

Inner Sakura had no chance to reply, for from out of nowhere Shizune appeared, clutching at her chest as if she had just sprinted from a great distance.

Sakura was instantly worried about her senior, supporting her as she threatened to collapse.

"Shizune-chan, what's wrong?" asked the Haruno, obviously concerned.

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama," she wheezed, trying to catch her breath. "She- Sasuke-kun. I had…find you," she got out, trying to keep from fainting.

Sakura's body froze, her mind reeling and her eyes beginning to water. '_So this was what he was waiting for…' _

She thrust her animal into Shizune's hands, leaving her to stand on her own. Swiftly, she bit down on her thumb, wincing as the blood was drawn. She shoved her bleeding hand to the ground, summoning a small kitten from the feline contract.

"Koneko-chan," whispered the Haruno, shakily. "I need you to stay with Shizune. Give her some of your chakra and listen to her," she ordered, stripping her kimono and leaving it with them.

Before Koneko could question her master, she was gone, leaving the young neko confused.

Neji returned shortly after, Taiyo and Hato enjoying a fruit-filled onigiri. When he saw a panting Shizune being assisted by what he recognized as one of Sakura's cats, as well as her shed kimono on the ground, he was demanding answers.

"What happened?! Where's Sakura?"

"H-Hokage Tower. Uchiha Sasuke is-is in Tsunade-sama's office," she rushed out, using what she had recovered of her breath to tell the Hyuga.

He was gone after he heard the word, "Uchiha"…

**End Chapter**

A/N: Kukuku… Well, sort of cliffhangery ending… Sorry 'bout that. ;) I personally liked this chapter. Hato is just too cute!

So, only one more book for me to finish and I'm done with summer reading! Yay!

Please review and get me over the 200 mark!

-Kaiso-chan


	17. Festival Woes Part 3

A/N: OMG! I'm sorry! A thousand times over! It's been far too long since I've updated, and I know that I really left all of you with a bit of a cliffhanger last chapter. I hope you can all forgive me.

I will say in my defense that I'm taking a bunch of AP classes, added to the fact that color guard is pretty much controlling my life right now. Our first competition is coming up and our instructors are really riding us hard. All I've done when I got home was take a shower, do homework, sleep, and repeat the process.

In lighter news, thanks so much for getting me over the 200 mark! I do believe that it was naruto.luv.llamas that got me to 200, so thanks, love your face! (Don't ask).

Please enjoy this installment of To Turn a Raging Tide of Cherry Blossoms!

**Chapter 17: Festival Woes Part 3**

"Damnit Sakura!" cursed Neji, speeding towards the Hokage Tower. How could she have been so stupid?! Going after the Uchiha alone while knowing that what he's been after for so long was her, she must be completely delusional! "What were you thinking!"

The Hyuga was livid, thinking about the chance that Sakura could be taken away from him after he had started falling for her. Yes, he admitted that he was entirely smitten with the rosette, and that he had fallen for her hard… If Sasuke took her from him, he wasn't sure what he would do…

'_And I call myself a Hyuga! Have to move faster!'_ he berated himself, minimal relief coming to him as the village's center came into his view. '_Wait for me Haruno…'_

**-In the Hokage Tower-**

"That's right, Tsunade…Fall into my Sharingan…" murmured the sole Uchiha survivor, a triumphant smirk gracing his face. It was simple to conjure the appropriate Genjutsu to subject the Godaime to.

Her eyes were glazed over, her head filled with images as her phobia came back to bite her in the ass, figuratively speaking. "B-Blood…S-So much b-blood…" she murmured through the illusion, tears streaming down her face as she acknowledged whose blood graced her vision. "D-Dan…Nawaki…"

"Hn…Pathetic… And you call yourself Hokage…" sneered the ex-apprentice of the feared Orochimaru.

He could have ended her pathetic existence had he so desired, and he did, but as he was about to fully end her distressed mind, the door of Tsunade's office burst open, revealing a furious and determined Haruno . His concentration was shot as she entered the room, releasing the busty blonde from her imprisoned mind.

"Sasuke!" she snarled, her breath coming out in furious pants.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his rebellious pink-haired chosen matriarch. "Not 'Sasuke-kun', Sakura? You wound me…"

"If only it were that easy!" she growled, taking a threatening step forward.

Sasuke made a disapproving sound as he approached the now unconscious Hokage, a kunai in his hand.

"Don't you dare harm her!" ordered Sakura, reaching for her own kunai. "I'll kill you where you stand!"

The Uchiha simply chuckled callously, the black of his Sharingan becoming more pronounced. "I doubt that…" He gripped a handful of Tsunade's blonde hair in his hand, placing his kunai suggestively at her neck while at the same time keeping a careful eye on Sakura, who had wisely remembered not to look him in the eye. "Come away with me peacefully or she dies…"

She vaguely registered that she expected this sort of ultimatum, but she never really thought about what she would do in regards to it. Would she go with the Uchiha, become a breeder for children that would not only be used to rebuild the esteemed Uchiha Clan, but to also secure power over others? Or, the other choice, would she fight and let Tsunade –her mother-figure—die and most likely get captured and end with the same result?

She fought to keep the tears away, determined not to cry in front of the defective shinobi. She knew what she would do—she was a smart kunoichi, always had been—if both options ended the same way, she should probably save whatever kind of family she had left.

"I…I…" she tried, though her voice was starting to waver. "If it p-promises the safety of those I love… I-I'll come quietly…"

"Hn…"

The sounding of wooden sandals hitting tile disturbed the slight pause in speech, and the sound of a familiar voice was Sakura's complete undoing.

"Don't you dare Sakura!" it roared, the figure coming to a full stop in the doorway.

The smirk on Sasuke's face, which had appeared at Sakura's submission, only grew wider. The Hyuga was there to see him take her away…

"Glad to see that you've joined us, Hyuga…" murmured Sasuke, tightening his grip on his kunai. "I was in need of a witness."

"You're not taking her away from me!" hissed Neji in reply, his eyes already activated with the Byakugan narrowing dangerously.

--

"You're not taking her away from me!" she heard him snarl, the ferocity laced in his voice both startling her and filling her with a strange feeling that she just couldn't place. She let out a sound that sounded to the Hyuga, who couldn't see her face, like a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh but you see Hyuga, she's already agreed to come with me," sneered the vengeful Uchiha, taking pleasure in the negative reaction that Neji was exhibiting. "And in return, you get to live another day."

With a speed that even the great prodigy Hyuga Neji couldn't follow, Sasuke was gone from beside Tsunade and standing threateningly at Sakura's side, keeping his kunai pressed at her throat for precautions.

Neji was perfectly livid, and was prepared to lash out at his clan rival, but knew what the consequences would be if he attacked; Sakura would be hurt in the process, and he couldn't let that happen to her, not when he cared so much about her.

With an influx of chakra, Sasuke managed to pull off a transportation jutsu, calling out as the smoke surrounded them, "Looks like I win Hyuga."

The emotionally overloaded branch-child collapsed to the ground, pounding his chakra laden fists into the floor. The only thing he did not do was cry, for it was against his pride to do so, but at the moment, he would've done anything to allow himself the luxury.

Shizune appeared in the room, panting heavily after sprinting back to the tower, minutes later, Taiyo and Hato at her heels and Koneko in her arms. After seeing that both the Uchiha and Haruno weren't in the room, and by the way Neji was reacting, she deduced what happened without asking any questions.

When she saw Tsunade, however, she immediately sent for ANBU and a few more experienced medics, not knowing the full extent of her unconscious state.

"Nissan…" quietly asked Hato, looking around the room. "Where's Neechan?"

Neji couldn't find the power to even look at the small child, much less answer her. As he sat there, debating what to do, Taiyo approached him.

"Where's Neechan?" repeated the young boy, looking at his idol in shock. "Why isn't she with you Nissan?" Neji still couldn't look at the child. "Where's Neechan!" he shouted strongly, tears coming to his eyes. "Couldn't you protect her?!"

"Taiyo-kun…" whispered Hato, trying to calm him down. "Don't blame Nissan…"

"No!" cried the Suna boy. "He let her get taken away! He let Sasuke-teme take her away!"

"Taiyo…"

"Didn't you love her? How could you let him take away Neechan!" Taiyo demanded, stomping his foot to the ground as more tears fell from his eyes.

'_Love… Do… Do I actually love her?' _he thought, his fists clenching in his frustration. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself agreeing to the idea. '_I…I think I just might… And I just let Uchiha take her!' _He pounded the ground once again in rage. '_I have to get her back!'_

Koneko leapt from Shizune's arms as she was attending to Tsunade, making her way to the distraught Hyuga's side. "Neji-san," approached the kitten, gently getting his attention. "We can find her and bring her back. Are you willing to assist us?"

Neji looked up and stared at the cat, slightly insulted that she would even think that he would refuse to help. "Of course… I'll do anything…"

Taiyo kept crying, but he stopped throwing accusations Neji's way. Hato was crying right along with him, and the mere fact that they had lost their faith in him made him sick.

The neko regarded him with something akin to admiration for his dedication. "I will meet you outside the gates. And you should call your summons. All of them," she told him, disappearing with a small puff of smoke.

Immediately Neji stood, the eyes of the two curious children staring up at him confusedly. Shizune gave him an understanding nod, and from what he could tell she was fighting off her own tears. With a look of promise and regret, Neji fled from the room, intent on making it to the meeting place as soon as he possibly could.

**-With Sakura-**

As soon as Sasuke had transported them out of Konoha, ending up a good ten miles from the Hokage Tower, he had bound Sakura's wrists with chakra-eating ropes.

"Just a precaution…You understand, ne?" sarcastically hissed the sound ninja.

Despite having no strength to break the bonds, Sakura struggled furiously, having nothing to lose now that everyone in the village was out of harm's way. "How about you untie me and let me beat you within an inch of your life!" roared the tiny kunoichi, her submissive behavior long forgotten.

How dare he! Coming back not only to take her against her will, but to threaten the ones that she holds dear, the ones she loves. Tsunade, Taiyo, Hato, Neji… _**Neji? **__'What can I say; he swept me off me feet. And this time, I know it's genuine.'_

"Now, now Sakura… I can easily return and wipe out your village if you continue to act this way," he threatened, grabbing her arms roughly enough so that she winced in pain.

This immediately calmed her and left her to think up a plan in silence. Jutsu were completely out of the question. Her binds only allowed her enough chakra to stay conscious, and if she wasted that minimal amount she'd either die from chakra deprivation or go back to the original scenario.

"That's a good little kunoichi… You might as well get used to being submissive; we're going to be together for a long time to come."

**-Back With Neji-**

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

With the activation of his summoning, Neji's four tori appeared before him.

Fushicho was confused and worried as he acknowledged his apprentice. "What's happened Neji-kun?" he asked. "Koraseru's disciple returned with urgent news about Sakura-san. I only caught a brief word of the report, but was she really taken away?"

Neji ducked his head in shame, his hawk Taka fluttering his wings in an attempt to comfort him. "Hai… The Uchiha abducted her. I couldn't do anything about it."

"Ja, we'll just have to help you then," promised the phoenix, his proud head lowering itself to look Neji in the eye. "And we even have more help coming."

As if on cue, nine clouds of smoked popped into the clearing, dissipating to reveal Sakura's entire group of summons, headed by Koneko. Junshin was beside the kitten, looking displeased yet equally worried about her friend.

Koraseru simply stared at the boy who couldn't bear to look her in the eye with sympathy. Fushicho had been updating her on Taka's reports in regards to Neji's feelings for Sakura, which had evolved into genuine love. She couldn't blame him for anything, and was ready to help him get her back, even if he didn't belong in her contract.

"Neji-san," she purred consolingly. "We will get her back. I will make sure of it." She turned her gaze to the caracal. "Nyaka, find her chakra trail and track it. We will follow your lead."

The long-ear neko nodded once, taking off into the trees with the rest of the small army of cats following close behind. Koraseru took one last look at the Hyuga boy, trying to convey that she didn't blame him for anything, before following after her brood.

After Koraseru departed, one summon of Sakura's remained.

Junshin regarded the prodigy with an apologetic look, bowing her head in shame. "Gomen…Neji-san… I am afraid that my behavior was inexcusable. I apologize for how I've treated you and your summons…"

The long-haired boy was unsure of what to do with that confession, deciding to remain silent as the neko continued.

"I…I regret all of the things I had said, not only to you, but to Sakura-hime… I did not realize this until I had heard the news of her capture," she admitted solemnly, a crystalline tear coming from her eye and rolling over her smooth fur. "She is my sister in arms and spirit, and I regret that I was too prejudiced to see what a beautiful relationship was blooming between you. I hope…I hope that I get a chance to let her know these things."

"I hope for that as well…" murmured the Hyuga, accepting the apology and the offer of truce.

The house cat looked him in the eye briefly before turning tail and running after her kin, leaving Neji with his birds.

"Get on my back, Neji-kun… We will find her and bring her back safely, you have my word…" Fushicho promised softly, the other three birds cawing in agreement of the statement.

Neji did as his summon told him and boarded his back, a determined look in his gaze as he thought about his next encounter with the Uchiha… And this time, he refused to fail.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Gomen! I know that I'm terribly late on this installment, and I can't apologize for that enough! But please, do not hassle me about how long it took.

-First off, I've had an unrelenting schedule concerning colorguard; we only have Mondays and Sundays off if we don't have a game or competition to perform at, so of course it would be hard to update.

-Next, school. I'm normally an A,B student, but this year I'm having a bit of trouble. I blame it on colorguard, but a lot of my time, that isn't being used for my extracurricular activity has been spent on homework.

-Lastly, I REALIZE THAT THE SCENE DOESN'T MATCH THE PICTURE ON DEVIANTART!! That was due to a bout of writer's block that refused to allow that scene into the story. So, sorry if you were really looking forward to that, but I honestly think that that wouldn't have made a great scene anyways. It was a terrible picture compared to my latest works, and when I look at it I'm repulsed. I'm overreacting of course, but I seriously might be taking it off of DeviantArt.

Please review! I would really appreciate it! Thanks to everyone who's stayed with my so far, and I hope you'll stick with me until the fast-approaching ending! This will be the first multi-chapter that I've finished, so I'm just really proud of how far this story has come, thanks to all of my amazing readers!

Ja ne!

-Kaiso-chan


	18. The Teme and his Lackey

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for taking forever! I was grounded for a long time because of my shitty grades (Almost failed Algebra II, but pulled off a C…). And then, our internet is flickering between activity and inactivity… IT SUCKS!!

Anyway… This story is almost over. There are only a few more chapters left. At least three regular chapters, maybe four, and then an epilogue. I hope you'll all stick with me until the end!

So, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I not only write this for me, I write this for you!

**Chapter 18: The Teme and his Lackey **

"Mnmph! Mrmnmrmnph!"

"Be silent… Your voice is the reason you're gagged," hissed the Uchiha, entering the room in which he kept Sakura.

"Fnnkff!" she shouted back, roughly translating to "Fuck off!"

"Now, now, Sakura-chan… You're only making things harder on yourself," chided the Sharingan wielder, approaching the bed on which she lay with the form only befitting a predator on the prowl. "Because you just don't seem to understand the situation you are in… Or exactly who you're dealing with."

She quieted momentarily, glaring at him with all the ice she could muster.

"Do you not know?" He smirked, crawling closer to her as she couldn't get away from him; she was tied with chakra eating rope to the bed posts by her wrists, her ankles also tied so that she couldn't kick at him.

She sent him a questioning look while at the same time using all of her power to get as far away from him as she possibly could, which unfortunately wasn't that far…

He chuckled darkly, as if appreciating deeply that he would be the one to tell her about the information he had. "I'm the reason, Sakura-chan," he started, a vicious smirk striking his features. "I'm the reason your parents were murdered…"

As her eyes widened in hurt and surprise, Sasuke took his chance, ripping off her gag and shoving his mouth roughly over hers…

X-X

"Koraseru-sama! We've caught the trail," reported Nyaka, rushing to his boss' side. "How shall we proceed?"

The tigress regarded her caracal subordinate as she thought a plan through. There wasn't any time to come through with a back up, but for now, it would suffice.

"Junshin," called Koraseru, eyeing the cat as she made her way to white tiger's side. "You wish to redeem yourself in Sakura's eyes, do you not?" The neko nodded determinedly in reply. "Then you shall go on ahead with Nyaka. Find her and tell her we're on our way, no matter the cost," she ordered, touching her nose to Junshin's head softly to confirm the command.

Junshin bowed her head, both grateful and understanding. Though the chances of her own survival were slim, she would go through with this mission with pride, and if she happened to lose her life, well… She would lose it with honor.

…

"What's going on Fushicho?" questioned the Hyuga, glancing at the ground below to see the neko stopped and discussing something. He noted that the caracal, which was exponentially farther ahead than the others, was back at Koraseru's side, obviously waiting for something. He saw how Junshin was called to the tigress' side, but was unsure of why.

"Koraseru is sending the young neko with the long-eared one; she is being sent ahead to alert Sakura-chan of our arrival," he informed the branch-child, flying steadily ahead. "It is dangerous; the Uchiha could be there, and if he is, young Junshin may not survive this rescue mission."

Neji thought on this for a while, watching as the two neko set out together at their fastest pace, tracking what minute trail of Sakura or Sasuke's chakra there was.

"I want to assist them," he told his summon coolly, barely able to keep a hold of his emotions. "I should be there with them when they find her."

"Neji-kun, I don't think you realize exactly how crucial it is that you—"

"That I what, Fushicho?" the prodigy growled, insulted. "That I sit by and do nothing as the summons take care of everything? You know me well enough to know that I won't let that happen…"

The phoenix glanced back briefly, noting his charge's determination.

"Well?"

"Very well… Go with Washi. He's the only one able to support your weight besides myself and he'll draw less attention," he relented, inwardly proud of the Hyuga for his will to get the rosette back.

"Arigato," Neji said, nodding his thanks.

"Just please, don't do anything too rash… This whole mission is meaningless if you die as well…" stated the wise bird, trying to keep Neji in the proper state of mind.

The white-eyed shinobi nodded again, targeting the eagle summon and judging the distance between them before jumping skillfully onto the back of the larger bird variation.

A stern order and he was flying directly over Nyaka and Junshin, his eyes narrowed as the harsh winds blew past.

'_I'm coming Sakura… I won't let him keep you…'_

X-X

She tried to struggle against him, but his larger form and her restrained arms and legs prevented her from doing so. She thrashed underneath him in an attempt to throw him off, but he managed to pin her to the bed and keep her from moving altogether.

As he thrust his tongue into her mouth she did the only thing she was capable of doing to get him away from her; she clamped down on the digit, eliciting a grunt of pain from the cold shinobi who finally pulled away.

She was so relieved that he was finally off of her that she never noticed him raising his hand until she felt the sharp sting of him backhanding her, causing her head to turn sharply to the side.

"For one of the smartest kunoichi of our time, that was the dumbest thing you could've done," he growled at her, spitting the blood drawn from his tongue at her stunned form.

She sent him a hate-filled glare, one that promised that there was no longer any love in her heart for him.

Her cheek and jaw still throbbing from the impact of his hand, she managed to bite out, "For one of the most prodigal geniuses in the village, you've done enough dumb things in your life to permanently mark you as a liability. One would think you would be smart enough to avoid that kind of publicity…" She said this with venom in her voice, giving him the surprising impression that the pain didn't affect her in the very least.

"Hn," he murmured more to himself, reforming his original opinion of her. "You're stupid… As my prisoner, you're creating the image of an idiot by challenging me, and rest assured Sakura, that will change… That will change very quickly," he promised seriously, his voice almost a whisper.

"It will never change! I won't submit to you, because now I know that you're the reason that I've been alone for _four_ years!" she all but screamed at him, using all of her remaining strength to keep from crying. So far, her rage was doing an amazing job of hiding her sorrow. "And let me tell _you,_ Sasuke; I will do everything in my power to make sure you _suffer_…"

"We'll see…"

He made his way to the door, taking a quick moment to look back at her as he walked out.

"You remember Kabuto…" he stated, not allowing it to be a question. "He will be in to see you shortly...He's been looking forward to this for awhile…"

Smirking at her a final time, he left the room, slamming the door behind him before she even had a chance to reply…

X-X

"How far, Nyaka?" asked the smaller cat, running alongside the long-eared neko at top speed.

"The trail left by Uchiha was faint, suggesting that he had used a teleportation jutsu. However," he paused, taking in his surroundings. "The jutsu follows a certain path and gets stronger as they get closer to their destination. Judging by the strength of the trail now, we only have a matter of minutes."

The two neko had been running at their maximum speed for almost an hour after having picked up the trail. In this amount of time they'd been able to cover well over one-hundred miles, taking them out beyond the Land of Fire's borders and into the Western borders of Suna, where there was more vegetation.

"What are you going to do, Junshin?" he asked his partner, beginning to slow in his pace to keep from being too quickly discovered now that they were close. "You can't just walk in there, and we don't have time to scout out the area."

"I…I don't know… But I have to try," she replied determinedly. "If I have to, I will _dig_ my way into that shack… We can't lose her…"

"And we won't lose her," promised Neji, diving down close to the ground upon Washi. "We will get in and save her, no matter the cost."

X-X

"Konnichiwa, Sakura-chan," greeted the defected medic-nin. "It is quite wonderful to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same for you, you traitor!" she responded back, her fear of his abilities hidden behind a façade of anger and annoyance.

"Now, now… Don't be like that," he said patiently, pushing up his glasses with his middle finger out of habit. "I'm only here to talk and examine your medical condition. Think of it merely as an exchange between colleagues, medic to medic. Besides," he added, smirking as he gave his minor warning. "We wouldn't want to have you gagged again. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate that very much."

She was silent for a moment. While being gagged wasn't all that of a big deal, she wanted to be able to voice her obvious displeasure every once in a while…

"That's more like it…" he said, his glasses gleaming in the barely lit room. "I must say I'm sorry for a great deal of things." He moved to her restrained form on the bed, his hand glowing a mysterious green-blue color as started his examination. As he ran the scanning chakra over her form he continued. "Such as having you brought here… Demo, I'm afraid that it's what Sasuke-kun wants, Sasuke-kun gets. You understand, ne?"

"Oh I understand alright! I understand that you're all bastards! Murderers without any regard as to how you affect people's lives!"

Kabuto made a disapproving noise. "Now that's a bit harsh. But I suppose that it's warranted after the brutal slaughtering of your family… It was the intention that you would be killed as well, you know."

"What the HELL are you talking about?"

The Oto-nin sighed, running over her vitals to make sure that the chakra eating bindings weren't taking away a fatal amount of chakra. "The late Orochimaru-sama saw you as a distraction to Sasuke-kun's training, so he sent out one of his best teams to eliminate you and your family. They departed the scene, thinking you dead, but I suppose your medic nature saved you."

Sakura said nothing about Maria and her husband, the ones that cared for her as she recovered, knowing that she'd be putting them at risk by disclosing that information.

"In fact, there were many more attempts at your life, but most, if not all, were intercepted by teams on unrelated missions."

He finished his examination, deeming her physically healthy.

"Ja, you're physical condition is excellent," he told her, smirking as he thought of her tortured mental state. "It was nice talking with you Sakura-chan. We'll have to do this again sometime."

"Don't count on it, teme!" she shot back, her green eyes blazing with the fires of her rage.

He chuckled callously as he left the room, eerily similar to the way Sasuke had just under an hour ago, but without the slamming of the door as he departed.

X-X

There it was; the shack where Junshin first heard Sasuke's voice. Well… It wasn't much of a shack anymore; two months had done the place some good. It was now a full-out fortress…

"This is going to be harder than I thought…" murmured the cat, narrowing her eyes at the building. "Nyaka, can you tell where Sakura-hime's chakra signal is coming from?"

The larger neko's ears twitched ever so slightly, the feline doing his best to get an exact location on their mistress.

"She's being kept in the back somewhere," he finally said, hissing in frustration. "Her signal is so small… It's hard to get a definite location…"

Neji looked at the caracal with a worried expression on his face. "A small signal? What's wrong? What's happened to her?"

"Calm yourself, Hyuga-san," Nyaka whispered, glancing at him quickly. "A small signal can mean one of two things. One, she's been killed, or two, she's being restrained with chakra consuming rope. Since the Uchiha did not want her harmed, one can assume that it's the latter. She's fine."

The Hyuga let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, but still he knew that this didn't mean that she wasn't in trouble.

"What of the Uchiha? Where is he in the building?" asked Junshin, needing every fact she could get before she could proceed.

"From what I can tell… He's somewhere in the eastern part of the building. His signal isn't close to Sakura-hime's, but that can change in an instant," he reported, looking his feline cousin in the eye. "That means you need to get in quickly without being caught and get out just as fast."

"Done… Iku ze, Neji-san! You can make sure we avoid any guards, but hide your chakra signature before we go in," ordered the female, preparing to charge the fortress.

"Koraseru-sama and the others are no more that fifteen minutes behind us. If you happen to get caught, try to hold out," Nyaka informed them, his ear swiveling in the direction that they came. "Good luck, Junshin."

And the caracal was gone, heading back to report to Koraseru and Fushicho just as Washi had done when they reached their destination.

"Let's go get her back!"

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, I'm very pleased with this chapter! It's nice to be able to update again!

In answer to a question posted on the review board, or rather a statement, my use of 'Hyuga' is correct. It can be also spelled as 'Hyuuga', but it simply depends on how the writer in comfortable in writing it as such. Both forms are correct. Any Naruto game you play will spell it as 'Hyuga', so I spell it as 'Hyuga'. Thanks for your concern though, and I'm sorry it annoys you that I spell it like that.

Anyway, please review! (At least 10!) It would make me very happy! And since this story is almost over with, I'm going to be focusing on it until it's finished, though that's not really saying much because of my record with updating…

Thanks for reading!

-Kaiso-chan


	19. The Tigress and the Cobra

A/N: Hey, readers! I'm finally back! I'm sorry that I took forever to update, but between my computer not working and my stressful school work, it's been hard to find the time and patience to sit down and type up a new chapter.

Also, I was pretty disappointed with the amount of reviews I got for the last chapter. That was also a factor in the long wait to update, but finally I decided to pull my head out of my ass and stop punishing those who did review. Next time, guys who **didn't** review, try and get me more than five reviews.

Anyway, thanks to my five reviewers! I love you guys and I'm sorry for punishing you when it wasn't your faults! I hope this chapter makes it up to you!

**Chapter 19: The Tigress and the Cobra**

'_Almost got it…'_

For the past half hour Sakura had been attempting to reach one of her extremely well hidden weapons, one of the few that had been undetected by her oppressors.

'_I knew these earrings would come in handy,'_ she thought, her fingers finally managing to grasp the overturned cherry blossom earring, the stem of said cherry blossom a carefully disguised razor sharp blade.

With her practiced elasticity, Sakura had managed to stretch her body, and while her ankles were going to be thoroughly burned and cut up, she was able to move her head close enough so that her dexterous fingers could remove the earring from its piercing.

Upon rubbing the disguised blade against her bonds, they were cut in a matter of minutes, giving her the opportunity to free herself from the rest of her ties.

After replacing the useful earring from where it came, Sakura took a moment to breathe and take in her surroundings. Already she could feel her chakra returning to her, but it would be awhile before she'd be at her full potential.

A throbbing at her ankles reminded her of her foreseen injuries. The ropes had cut into her skin and while they were not bleeding heavily, it would be unwise to leave them as they were.

Gathering a small amount of her recovering chakra, the Haruno stemmed her bleeding, not wanting to waste what little chakra she had. Her ankles still pained her, but she wouldn't worry about them now. This was her chance to escape, and she wasn't going to risk losing it.

X.X

"Make a left."

So far, so good. Half way through the fortress and no sign of Sasuke. Thanks to Neji's Byakugan, encounters with enemy sound nin were avoided, and they used this to guide them to the back of the bastion.

"Wait…" he whispered, coming to a complete halt in the shadows as a group of Oto-nin ran past them.

"Sasuke-sama's going to have our heads! You didn't tie the bonds tight enough," one of them said, completely oblivious to the fact that there was a trained Konoha shinobi and ninja cat running through their halls.

Junshin caught this quick tidbit with her acute hearing, the echo further down the hallway interfering with the rest of her comprehension.

"It seems Sakura-hime has escaped," whispered Junshin to her partner.

"Then we have to find her before the Uchiha does," he replied, nodding determinedly.

Junshin paused, thinking, before turning to the Hyuga. "I'm going on ahead. You stay here in case she crosses this path. It's the only one leading to the exit," she told him, her mind set.

"How will you know if I've found her?" he asked, trying to keep as quiet as possible. "We don't have any means of communication."

Without warning, Junshin clamped down on his finger, leaving a mark and drawing a minute amount of blood. Neji hissed at the unexpectedness of the bite, making sure to keep it down so that they weren't discovered.

"What was that?" he demanded, glaring at the feline.

"Send chakra through that bite if she comes by. I'll do the same if I've found her or if I'm in danger. The bite will be warm with relief upon finding her, but will be cold if I feel threatened," she explained. "Get out of here if the mark is warm."

Giving him the information he needed, she ran off without another word, leaving the Hyuga on his own in favor of searching for Sakura, her friend, sister, and master.

X.X

"Taiyo-kun, it'll be okay," comforted Hato, on the verge of tears because of Sakura's capture. "Niisan will get her back. He—"

"Don't you get it Hato!?" yelled the boy, rounding on the young girl. "Niisan couldn't save her! He let that stupid Sasuke take her away! He can't do anything!" Though he was trying to fight it, tears were falling from his eyes.

This was too much for Hato to take anymore. Being yelled at by Taiyo had set her over the edge and she too began to cry. Nervously she started to wring her hair in her hands and clutch at her sleeves.

"Taiyo-kun… Why are you saying such things? You love Niisan!"

"Not anymore!" he denied, the tears falling faster. "He was supposed to protect Neechan! He loves her! And she loves him too!"

"I know Taiyo, I know!" agreed Hato, hugging the young boy. "But—"

"No!" he shouted, crying even harder. "No!"

Hato bit her lip, chancing a glance out of the Hokage Tower's guest room window. The moon was out and the stars were blinking with life, like tiny little fairies. Towards the east, there was a streak of color, signaling that the sun was starting to come up.

"I believe in Niisan…" she whispered, tired from the long day and night. "And Neechan… I believe that… she'll come home safely…"

Taiyo scoffed pitifully. "You're stupid Hato… Don't get your hopes up…"

While the insult hurt and cut her deeply, Hato didn't blame the boy she loved. She knew that he was hurting. He was let down by his one hero, and for any child, that was the ultimate loss.

X.X

Junshin was running soundlessly through the halls of the fortress, having left Neji behind. They were pressed for time, and she could move faster than the Hyuga if she needed to.

There were a few close calls in the few minutes she had been running, almost colliding directly with a small group of guards. Now that she didn't have the Byakugan to guide her, there was more risk of coming in contact with the enemy.

There was still no sign of Sasuke, or that lackey that had tried to track her down on her first mission to this location. While that was a good thing, it worried her; if she hadn't come across them already, the chances that she wouldn't meet them farther ahead were slimming, as they were more than likely searching for Sakura as well.

That worry made her run even faster. She was now relying on pure luck, hoping that she wouldn't be caught before she found the pinkette. Her only exceptional trait was her speed, so if she were caught there would be little she could do to escape.

At that moment, she wished she had someone like Koneko with her, or even Kima, because he at least had brute strength behind his speed.

'_I don't need them,'_ thought the housecat determinedly, her mind now set. '_I can do this on my own. I can stop anyone that gets in my way, because Sakura-hime is still out there, and I need to find her.'_

X.X

"We're closing in Koraseru-sama," reported Nyaka, having reached the rest of his pack a few minutes ago. "How shall we proceed?" he asked, running alongside the tigress.

The white tiger spent no time thinking up a response, her plan already formulated. "Charge the fortress. Take down any and all who get in your way," she growled, her chakra swirling around her as her adrenaline came to the surface. While a perfectly rational being, Koraseru, as a tiger, was still a predator. The thought of a hunt thrilled her and drove her on, her sole intent to take out the Uchiha brat that had taken away her ward.

"Shall I alert Fushicho?" inquired the long-eared neko, glancing to his side as the tigress started increasing in her size.

"Hai. Tell him to be ready for a fight; I sense there is a snake in our midst."

X.X

"Of course that teme took my medicine pouch!" hissed the Haruno, running through the fortress.

Someone had taken all of her weapons and items from her and she had no idea where they were. Looking back she supposed that she was too riled up to realize that she now had an advantage; before leaving for the festival, she had applied a layer of the poison Hinata had given her on her lips. Because Sasuke had kissed her so forcefully, chances were he now had some of that poison in his system.

Now that she was free that fact had suddenly come to her, her anger completely wiping away her sense of logic and rationality beforehand.

But even with the poison in his system, if she was lucky enough that he had consumed some of it, she was no match for him with her chakra drained. Without the soldier pills, another gift from Hinata, there was no way she could be up to her full power and fend him off if he found her.

"With any luck, maybe he's already dead," she hissed sarcastically to herself, trying not to chuckle as she sprinted down the halls. "Maybe he and Kabuto have some little gay relationship and they kissed each other and both died!" she whispered hysterically, now trying to hold in her laughter at the idea.

"Ugh…" she sighed, knowing that it definitely wasn't the time for such thoughts when she should be focusing on escaping. "I definitely need more sleep!"

She stopped at the corner of the hall in the shadows to catch her breath, hearing something that set her on edge as she did so.

_Pit pat pit pat pitta pitta pat_.

'_Someone's heading towards me! I don't have the strength to fight anyone off!'_ she thought in a panic. She tried to stifle her heavy breathing but to no avail. In a matter of moments it seemed she would be discovered.

The sound of movement stopped, making Sakura hold her breath to brace herself.

"You there! Stop hiding and fight me like a ninja!"

The kunoichi blinked in surprise. No, it couldn't be. She was still mad at her!

"I mean it! Come out now!"

She recognized that voice! "Junshin?" she whispered, stepping out of the shadows.

The cat was poised ready to attack whoever stepped out behind the wall, but she never expected it to be Sakura.

Cocking her head, the neko gave her a disbelieving look. "S-Sakura-hime?

"Junshin, what are you doing here?" demanded the rosette, crouching down to talk to her summon.

Junshin looked smug but was in reality overjoyed. "Looking for you, now let's get out of here! Bird-Boy is waiting for us," she replied, running back from where she came with Sakura following behind her.

"There you are, Sakura-chan… We were quite worried about you…"

Moments after they registered hearing the smooth voice, their vision went black as they were forced into the realm of sleep.

X.X

The Hyuga sighed in relief as he felt the mark on his finger warm up. Junshin had found her. "Arigato Kami-sama…" he murmured, turning to exit the building. Almost as soon as he turned around, the mark went ice-cold.

His eyes widened. '_No! She's only just found her! How—'_

His thoughts were cut off as an explosion sounded through the fortress. Even as he stood taking in what had just happened, the walls were beginning to crumble.

'_Oh no…'_

Loading the soles of his feet with chakra, Neji broke out into a dead sprint out the way he came, just barely staying ahead of the falling rubble.

Things weren't much better when he reached the outside. There stood an oversized Koraseru being backed up by her feline pack and his own summons.

Turning to look at what they were bracing themselves against, his level of worry skyrocketed; before them stood the vicious Manda… Atop his head was Sasuke, holding with him an unconscious Sakura and Junshin.

Catching sight of his charge, Fushicho dove to the ground and presented his back to the Hyuga.

"Let us fight Neji-kun. We're all behind you."

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, shorter than I'm sure you wanted, but at least it's an update.

Again I'm sorry for your long wait. Hopefully this story will be finished before the summer's over.

PLEASE REVIEW! It'll take less time for me to update for you next time!

Ja ne!

-Kaiso-chan


	20. Burnt to Ashes

A/N: Well… Gomen for taking so long. I started out passionately and for some reason couldn't get myself back on my laptop. But I finally started again and I hope that the wait was worth it.

Just so you know, as of late I have been diagnosed with disthymia (sp?), and a lot of time has been put into figuring out if it's the result of a medication or just teenage hormones… So far, a lot of things point to the medication, but I am unconvinced. And hormones just doesn't seem to explain why I burst into tears upon seeing a Papa John's pizza box… I have nothing to look forward to in my life, so it's been hard to really do anything.

Anyway, I was very happy with the reviews I received. Seventeen! Thank you so much! That's a lot more than six! I hope it continues! Only two or three more chapters left! Enjoy while you can!

Please enjoy this next chapter. CHAPTER 20!!!!

**Chapter 20: Burnt to Ashes**

Sasuke held Sakura to his side firmly, leaving her no room to move away. Kabuto held a restrained Junshin by the scruff of her neck as she hissed fiercely at him.

"That was a bold move, trying to escape like that," hissed the Uchiha, tightening his hold on her arms in his already bruising grip. "That fire in your eyes will be extinguished soon enough, but first I have an annoying Hyuga to take care of." He pushed the girl into Kabuto's waiting arms as the defected medic jumped from Manda's head to the waiting two-headed snake summon below.

Sakura struggled wildly in Kabuto's arms, hoping that maybe she or Junshin could get away; it was a well known fact that it wasn't easy to hold two captives at once.

They hadn't had time to reapply the chakra consuming ties, so her chakra was steadily building up, but what she had wouldn't be enough to defend herself for long.

Looking down for the brief moment that she had, she was able to take in her surroundings; Kima was below, fighting off minor snake summons with his vicious claws and fangs while dodging madly with his unrivaled speed.

Alongside him were Nyaka and Koneko, draining their small enemies of their chakra, effectively killing off the serpents and unimportant oto-shinobi that dared to get in their way.

She determined that she had enough chakra for her Ranshinsho jutsu, the technique in which she was capable of numbing and rearranging the body's motor functions.

She had heard from her shishou when she had recounted the time when she, Jiraiya and Naruto had fought both Orochimaru and Kabuto, and from this recollection she knew that Kabuto would quickly recover from the jutsu. Hopefully, it would buy her enough time to free herself and Junshin, and then she could jump (coughfreefallcough) to the ground below where Nyaka and Koneko were fighting and have them jumpstart her depleted chakra stores.

Her plan was perfect, aside from the fact that there was the chance she would become part of the—was that…?

Her plan might just work after all…

'It's now or never,' she thought to herself, bracing for the repercussions of her actions.

"That was a gutsy move, Sakura-chan…" murmured Kabuto, smirking. "I hope you won't be stupid enough to do it twice…"

Sakura grinned suddenly, a chuckle escaping her. "You forget who I am Kabuto…" A stream of chakra that could only be compared to an electrical current ran through her body, shocking the defected medic with its unprecedented power.

With the loss of his motor skills, at least temporarily, Kabuto was forced to release his two captives. The two headed hebi that they were perched upon was also a victim of the shock, the strength of the Ranshinsho enough to temporarily paralyze it.

This was something that the rosette didn't take into consideration… Grabbing Junshin in her arms, Sakura let out a loud whistle and jumped from the giant falling snake, knowing that if this failed, she would end up as a disgusting mess on the ground that no medic, not even Tsunade herself, would be able to identify.

Just as she was about to lose hope in her plan and say her final goodbyes, she felt a pair of talons grip at her shirt as a proud screech rang through the area.

She let out a breath that she had momentarily feared would never escape her lips again; her plan had worked, so far…

The bird dropped her off behind Koneko, retracting his talons from the medic's shirt before lovingly perching on her shoulder, cooing in her ear.

Catching the breath she had lost, Sakura looked to the bird that had saved her, the ever faithful Taka.

After the hawk finished nuzzling Sakura he let out another screech and ripped off Junshin's restraints with a simple clip of his beak.

Once she was released, Junshin jumped from her mistress' arms and gave Taka a simple nod of appreciation before heading off to join the fight, wishing the pinkette well.

Raising her arm so that Taka could perch there instead of on her shoulder, she stroked his feathers lovingly in thanks for saving her life before jerking her arm towards the air to encourage him to continue his brave fight against the hebi.

With a powerful flap of his wings, Taka was gone, off to find another enemy to battle with.

As soon as he was gone Koneko turned around, having Nyaka cover her defenses while she assessed her mistress. "At your service Sakura-hime. Your chakra stores seem to be depleted," she observed, leaping to the top of the pinkette's head and lending to her the impressive amount of chakra that she had accumulated from the now dead snakes and sound shinobi.

Within moments her chakra was fully restored and Koneko was bounding off to take care of the incapacitated two-headed snake summon and the silver-haired medic ninja while she had the chance.

Clenching her fists, Sakura reveled in her now fully functional chakra system. Stripping herself of her festival kimono that Sasuke surprisingly had left on her, she stood proudly in her kunoichi outfit, her clan shirt accompanied by her medic skirt.

Now, to join the fight…

X.X

Fushicho dodged another wicked strike from the vicious cobra summon, opening his beak to released a chakra charged fireball. Koraseru followed up with a swipe of her claws, but the snake was too fast for her to even come close to hitting.

When Manda spat out an acidic venom blast, both creatures dodged with an agility akin to a flash of lightning. This was how the battle had been going for the last five minutes…

Neji glanced over to the side, observing as the two headed cobra collapsed and two separate figures free fell to the ground below.

"Sakura!" roared the Hyuga, ignoring Sasuke and Manda as he jumped from Fushicho's back where his eagle summon was thankfully waiting for him.

"Neji-kun!" Fushicho turned in surprise as his charge took flight on the back of another, the distraction leaving him vulnerable to an acid blast. He let out a shriek of pain as the acid burned at his feathers, hindering his flying ability and causing him to spiral to the ground.

The inevitable crash was prevented only by Koraseru, catching him by the scruff of feathers at his neck ever so tenderly to avoid harming him further. Even in her enlarged form, she was able to set him gently to the ground, out of danger's way.

As the phoenix fell, Sasuke smirked from atop the head of Manda. "One down, one two go…" His smirk turned into a tight line however as he witnessed the Hyuga's escape.

While Sasuke was distracted, Koraseru used the time to launch her attack. With a feral roar, her fur crackled with energy as she called upon the power that the great Amaterasu had granted her, her power over lightning.

Dark clouds began to form over head as her power surged through the air, and yet she retained complete control. Her white form glowed electric blue, her stripes taking on the appearance of lightning bolts as they grew sharper in design.

All it took was another roar of pure fury for the lightning to reign down on Manda and Sasuke, the giant snake using every ounce of his speed to avoid being struck, but even that didn't save him; one well aimed bolt of electric energy struck him head on, Sasuke leaping out of the way just in time to avoid being hit himself while his most powerful summon was reduced to a cloud of smoke.

Snarling in frustration as he landed on his knees, his Sharingan glinting angrily in the sunlight.

X.X

'Sakura!' frantically thought Neji, swooping towards where he thought he saw her fall. 'Be okay. Please be okay!'

His eagle let out a proud screech as he landed, bowing to allow his master to disembark before taking flight once again to join the fray.

To Neji it felt as if he had hit the ground running, which, in all actuality, he had, for his concern for Sakura was now controlling his actions, something that should never happen to a shinobi in the middle of a deadly battle.

The dust was still clearing from the two-headed hebi's crash, added with the smoke from its disappearance. Even his Byakugan couldn't see clearly through the mix, but he did not let that deter him; Sakura was in there somewhere.

Eventually he came across a figure, but the dust was so thick he couldn't make out any features, but he was sure it was Sakura.

"Sakura!" he exclaimed, grasping the medic's shoulder. "Sakura, you—"

"Don't appear to be the medic you're looking for…" The medic smirked, pushing up his glasses with his middle finger, a smirk the dominant feature on his face.

Neji's eyes widened considerably, now understanding that he'd found the wrong shinobi. But if he'd just found Kabuto… Oh shit…

X.X

The rosette's lips formed a snarl as she locked eyes with her childhood crush. Oh he would pay… He would rue the day he ever turned on the village… the day he gave Orochimaru the idea to mercilessly slaughter her parents… the day he murdered that family in Suna… the day he showed himself to her again… Hell hath no fury like a woman bent on vengeance.

"Sasuke…" she growled, circling him much like the predators she summoned, and yet he simply stood there, staring her in the eyes… It infuriated her.

She had no weapons, she had no supplies… she had no plan. But she did have a reason, and that was all she needed.

X.X

Neji jumped back as if he had been burned, glaring as Kabuto chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Ja Neji-kun, I must admit that it was a bit foolish of me to assume that Sakura had no knowledge of the Ranshinsho," allowed the vision impaired medic. "Not only did she temporarily disable me, but she also took out one of Sasuke-sama's stronger summons." He scoffed. "It seems she is stronger than the rest of us thought. But it's a pity that she's more trouble than she's worth. Sasuke-sama's probably dealing with her as we speak."

He turned to run back to the summon battle, where he last saw Sasuke, but before he even registered what was happening, Kabuto was in front of him wielding a curved kunai.

"Gomen, Neji-kun, but I will be your opponent. I'm afraid your precious Sakura will have to wait," stated the defected medic in what seemed to be an apologetic tone when clearly he was anything but. "Perhaps you'll be alive long enough to see her final moments."

And he charged.

X.X

Sasuke chuckled. "Hn. What do you think you can do to me, Sakura?" he asked reproachfully. "Your strong point is Genjutsu, but we both know that won't work on me…"

"I've got more than Genjutsu…" growled the Haruno, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Hn. That's right; that inhuman strength of yours… But altogether, nothing special," he replied, unimpressed.

Now it was Sakura's turn to smirk. "Too bad I'm not talking about my strength. I've learned things that you could never even dream of, things that Neji, or even Tsunade-sama, doesn't know about."

This offset the Uchiha a bit, for all he knew about Sakura's techniques was derived from a source he had that worked in Tsunade's office. If Tsunade didn't know about it, there was no way that he had any sort of clue, but he didn't let that little tidbit show on his face. What could she possibly know…

She lifted her top enough to reveal one of the scars left from her almost fatal attack all those years ago, keeping her eyes locked with Sasuke's as she did so, no longer worried about his Sharingan. She formed a chakra scalpel, long and extremely sharp, plunging it into the scar and dragging it across its entire length while using her medic instincts to avoid any vital organs.

Sasuke was a bit put off by how she didn't even wince as she cut herself open, her blood running down her previously clean stomach.

"You have only yourself to blame for this technique," she informed him, placing her hand over her wet blood, now flowing freely. And she didn't feel the least bit dizzy. Perhaps she was meant to die here, for losing all this blood so quickly should make anyone feel faint. She could heal it, sure, but she didn't want to give Sasuke the satisfaction.

Forming the proper seals, Sakura clapped her hands together, pulling them apart to reveal the beginnings of a menacing blood red blade; her Chi no Ha no Jutsu. At four feet, the blade finished forming, Sakura's hand wrapped firmly around its hilt.

"A blade of my own blood," she hissed, keeping herself from wincing as she bled out. Perhaps a bit of healing was in order, but doing so manually was out of the question; her chakra would have to do the job for her.

Her katana glistened in the sun, catching Sasuke's eye, and Sakura used this as her chance to attack, lunging at the orphaned Uchiha and drawing his attention away from her healing.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke had drawn his own katana to block the hit, but Sakura's seemed to go right through his weapon… No… Not through; around, as if it were a liquid.

Even in his surprise, Sasuke managed to jump back to avoid even greater injury to his person, escaping with only a cut upon his cheek.

Meanwhile, Sakura brought her reforming blade back to the ready, running a finger through Sasuke's blood and mumbling what seemed to be another technique.

Her unexpected jutsu, it seemed, had more secrets than he had originally thought… Shit…

X.X

The lightning was dying down now that Manda was out of the picture. Sasuke was nowhere in sight, but Koraseru knew that she didn't have to be in her giant form to face him. And now wasn't the time for such a thing anyway; Fushicho was hurt badly.

She shrank to her normal size, using all of her speed to get to the phoenix's side as quickly as she could. He hadn't moved at all…

She nudged him with her nose, trying to get him to stir. "Come on you old bird, don't give up on me!" she growled, feeling dread down to the pit of her stomach. He didn't respond.

"Fushicho! Damn you, you flashy piece of poultry!" she snarled. If this was a joke, it wasn't in the least bit funny! "Get up! Get up Fushicho!"

A golden eye opened slowly, appearing to drain the giant bird of his remaining energy. He chuckled weakly. "Stop wasting your energy Koraseru-chan…" he whispered, trying to move at least one of his once great wings that were now burned from the highly acidic poison. "You need to save our charges… I sense they are both in trouble…" He took in a weak, shuttering breath; some of the poison was now seeping through his skin and entering his blood stream…

"You say that as if you will not be able to save your own," she accused, dreading his answer. If tigers were capable of crying, she was sure that she would be doing so presently.

"I…I do not know if I will…but…but if I can't…if I can't, Koraseru," he pushed, his golden eye showcasing his desperation. "I need you…I need you to help him…for…for I would do the same…I would help her…"

"Fushicho, don't you dare die on me!" she roared, her furry face directly in front of his feathered one.

Fushicho let out a humorless chuckle as he weakly closed his eye. "I'm afraid… I'm afraid that I can't listen to you this time my dear… dear friend…"

"No…No!" cried the great tiger, her own molten eyes widening with extreme anxiety.

"Ai…Aishiteru, Koraseru…" he whispered, taking his final breath before the great phoenix burst into flames, leaving behind a pile of ash and a anguished tigress…

Fushicho was dead…

X.X

"Come now Neji-kun," chuckled Kabuto. "Surely the great Hyuga protégé can do better than that…"

Neji's body was covered in a variety of slices, the curved blade of Kabuto's kunai cutting deeper than any normal kunai.

That's not to say that Neji hadn't gotten in a hit; many times had he hit the medic's most vital tenketsu, and yet every time Kabuto managed to restore them to their full capacity. He didn't appear to have a single scratch…

Thankfully for Neji this was beginning to take its toll on the traitor nin, as even his chakra stores weren't infinite. He was draining himself of a lot of chakra by continuing to regenerate his chakra points, but the Hyuga didn't need to know that.

While stuck in his own thoughts, Kabuto left himself open to Neji's Jyuuken yet again. 'Damn!' he cursed himself in his mind. 'I won't have enough chakra to regenerate after this…'

Knowing that he was ultimately finished, Kabuto decided to make on last ditch effort. Throwing his deformed kunai to the ground, he used his remaining chakra to form a chakra scalpel, and he charged, taking a wild swipe at Neji.

Acting purely on reflex, he performed his Kaiten, successfully deflecting the late Orochimaru's assistant… Kabuto was thrown into a tree at a breakneck speed, doing just that; breaking his neck and killing him instantly.

Just as Neji was about to celebrate his success, a sharp pain inflicted him. It seemed that Kabuto wasn't completely unsuccessful after all; his scalpel had nicked the Hyuga before he was dispelled…

The chakra vein to his left eye had been severed; Hyuga Neji was now completely blind in his left eye…

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, I hope this chapter was satisfactory to everyone. I tried to make it longer to make up for my absence, but I know that I have a lot of work to do…

I'm sorry to say that I'll be giving up on my other in progress stories. I just have no will to write them any longer. Granted, they had a decent run, but I have even better ideas at the ready, and I just don't see a future for them any more…

Sorry to everyone that enjoyed them. I will be posting up my author's notes on both stories further explaining my situation, as well as information for those who would like to formally adopt my two stories, Beautiful Ningyo and Offering of the Cherry Blossom. I will have requirements, and I will alert the new owner as well as those who DON'T make the cut so there is no confusion.

Thank you for all of your patience! I greatly appreciate it, and hope everyone understands why I was unable to update.

Please review! Maybe they'll snap me out of my depression a bit!

Ja ne!

-Kaisho-chan


	21. Stoke the Flames of Rebirth

A/N: Hey readers! I'm so sorry for my lack of activity! I can't believe it took me this long to get this chapter up! I was finally hit with some inspiration though! And I can say with a mix of bitter sweet emotion that there are only one more chapter after this!

Well, I'm way behind schedule. My band season is finally over but winter guard started, where I proceeded to trash my kneecap. Silver lining? More update time now that I'm out for the season!

On another note; seven reviews? Really? I thought I did very well on my last chapter… Oh well…

But I digress… Let's start the next chapter, ne?

**Chapter 21: Stoke the Flames of Rebirth**

The pain of a severed chakra vein is indescribable.

As Neji finally realized the magnitude of his injury, the pain sunk in, causing him to release a harsh wail, pressing his palm against his eye in an effort to stem the throbbing. "No! No!" he cried, removing his hand in the hopes it was all a misunderstanding. When he took it away, however, all he saw from his eye was black.

It took everything he had to calm himself down… He couldn't panic; that was unacceptable. Before he did anything else, he would have to shut down that tenketsu, lest the chakra leak and poison his bloodstream. While normally harmless to the user, severed veins often times meant death if they were left unchecked.

Bracing himself, he jyuukened his left optic tenketsu, grunting at the pain it caused. It did nothing to stop that which resulted from his severed chakra vein, but at least he wasn't in any danger of dying…from the chakra that is…

Now that that was covered… "HAA! SHANNARO!!!" 'Sakura!'.

X.X

Sasuke couldn't believe what he had caused; maybe he was out of his league here…

'No!' he snarled in his mind. 'She's always been easy to manipulate… Angering her may get me the advantage I need.'

Sakura had to freeze when she saw him smirk. "Wipe that smirk off your face!" she demanded, thrown off-guard by his sudden change in attitude.

Sasuke tsked reprehensively. "How does it feel Sakura," he sneered, his Sharingan swirling threateningly. "How does it feel to know that you were too _weak_ to save them?"

Her mask of indifference faltered. 'No! This is what he wants! Don't get angry! Don't lose control!' "I'm strong enough now to avenge them!"

She charged him, taking a deep swipe at his body with her blood sword. She got in a hit, giving him a large gash in his side.

As the wound was cut and Sasuke grunted in pain, Sakura purred in delight as one of her own wounds knitted together, healing completely.

She chuckled almost cruelly at his shocked expression. "This jutsu of mine is so cruel that I never use it in battle, but I'm making an exception," she explained, narrowing her eyes; he would pay for what he did! "You see Sasuke… This blade, while doing potent damage to you, will rejuvenate every cell in my body… My blood, entering your blood stream through my blade, will drain your energy and restore mine. And when you kissed me earlier," she said, pausing to smirk again. "You consumed a potent poison. I'll bet that you're either feeling its effects now, or will be shortly…"

Ironically enough, as the words escaped her, a sharp pain tore through his body, causing him to stagger. Through the pain, he glared at her, his Sharingan glistening violently. He did everything to suppress the sting of the venom, hoping that Sakura's poison hadn't been concentrated enough to kill him. This was one battle he didn't want to lose…

X.X

"Junshin! Where's Sakura?" demanded the Hyuga, his adrenaline fueling his movements; otherwise, his focus with only one working eye would have been highly off.

The small cat rapidly finished off her opponent so that she could face the Hyuga. "Her chakra signal is fluctuating violently. It's too dangerous to chase after her now. I'm worried that her Inner Sakura is being released," she told him urgently, trying to prevent him from further damage; she could tell that his eye had been compromised…

"What?!"

'_She never told him…' _"I don't have much time to explain. It must have been dormant for so long that she didn't see the need to tell you, but now that this is happening, I can tell that her control is slipping," she informed him, whipping around violently to decapitate a snake summon with her claws. "Her inner is so violently geared that it may not recognize a foe from a friend, and is so sadistic that it may not even care. It's never gotten out of hand on such a large scale before but she has escaped once… I've only ever heard rumors of what transpired…"

"Junshin, I don't care! Tell me where she is now!" he demanded, his voice rising with every word.

"Hyuga! I said no!"

With a snarl fit for the mighty tigress herself, the Hyuga tore out of the area, determined to find the pink-haired kunoichi even if it meant his death…

X.X

Sakura's eyes were changing color as the battle wore on… Her normal cheery green eyes were quickly fading to black, her smile rapidly turning sadistic, just as Junshin had predicted…

She chuckled darkly. "You have no idea how good it feels to finally be able to use my abilities. I've been closed away for so long because I'm too dark… But now...Fufufu…"

She spun on the ball of her foot, taking another swipe at the Uchiha, tsking to herself when he rolled out of her range.

"You can't avoid me forever Sasuke-_kun_," she purred, flitting in front of him and kicking him back with a well placed kick to the chest. Even without chakra her kick was enough to knock the wind out of him and send him flying a few feet back.

Sakura didn't miss a beat, easily covering the distance with enough momentum to knock right into him. They tumbled through the brush, stopping only when Sakura used her chakra to bring them to a complete stop, her straddling him with her blade poised over his heart.

"I should end you right now for what you did to me and my family! Was this your big master plan Sasuke?! To make me like you?" she snarled at him, letting the blade plunge as her eyes were overtaken by the black of her inner being.

The avenger braced himself for his death, using every ounce of his dignity to keep from flinching.

He waited, feeling the tip of the blade knick the skin above his heart but felt only shock when it went no further. He stared at the blade, his eyes widened in surprise as he was certain that this was his end. He chanced a glance at her face, watching in awe as green started overtaking the black.

"If that was your plan," she whispered, glaring into his eyes unflinchingly even though his Sharingan still swirled in agitation. "If that was it, you failed horribly." In a show of either trust or pure insanity she dropped her Chi no Ha, letting her own blood soak into the ground at it lost its form.

As her Inner Sakura retreated, Sakura did as well, lifting herself off of Sasuke's vulnerable form and jumping away before he could possibly make a grab at her.

"I may only be a shell of my former self, but I find it better than having nothing left of my past as you do. I find comfort in my home and friends, and because of them, I will never be like you, nor will I ever seek you out for what you think you have to offer," she promised with conviction. "I have people that stand beside me, rebuilding my very being without even knowing it, and because of them, I have no fear of you. They are my strength, my friends and the memory of those lost because of you. They keep me going, and will always be the reason that I will not allow myself to lose control."

She turned to walk away, unconcerned by the fact that while her back was turned she was vulnerable.

Sasuke used this to his advantage; she had made a fool out of him, swatting him away as if he were some annoyance that deserved to be ignored. He no longer cared that she was the perfect candidate to rebuild his clan with; she was one who could not learn her place, and as such didn't deserve to walk the very soil that lingered under his gaze. Her weakness would be her undoing; she should've killed him when she had the chance; after all, mercy was for the weak…

He was on his feet in a split second, charging her with a hastily summoned Chidori before she even knew what was happening. By the time she heard the chirping of the sparking chakra it would be too late for her…

Sasuke smirked, confident that the annoyance known as Sakura would be properly dealt with; she wasn't even worth having around. If he ever did break her, she would probably be just as annoying as she was on Team Seven. She was better off dead, especially because of her inability to carry out the will of an avenger.

His smirk slipped off his face when a sharp pain in his leg caused him to stagger just feet from his target. He lost focus on his Chidori and before he could extinguish the sparks he was burned severely along the side of his body. Weak from the pain, he looked down to see the source of his defeat; a simple kunai lodged in his leg. Humiliating for one donning the Uchiha name…

He never noticed that the simple kunai was adorned with an explosive tag…

X.X

The Uchiha died in humiliation, but also in pure ignorance. He died with questions, with pain, and without closure…

This was what Sakura saw when she turned to survey his end. She looked past the gruesome remains of her childhood crush and previous threat, and saw only what he died with. She felt nothing as she glanced at his charred remains, barely noticing as two strong arms wrapped around her numb frame.

She had no feeling for what Sasuke had become, but she did feel her sympathy go to the lost soul that was left alone in the world.

Her thoughts lingered on the fact that she could have easily become like him. If she had just let her Inner Sakura take care of things, she could have become a parallel image of the Uchiha, but her conscience demanded to know what such a thing would accomplish.

She came up with nothing on that note. She supposed that she would be left feeling empty, a lot like she was now, with a sense of surrealism that came with the fact that her childhood friend and love was gone.

Sakura inwardly shook her head; he was gone a long time ago, way back when he knocked her out and left her on the park bench. Emotionally he was gone back then, but now…now that he was physically gone… She didn't know what she felt…

She didn't acknowledge when she was swept off her feet into the strong arms of whoever found her, so lost in her thoughts she was…

She began to suppose that Sasuke's physical passing hurt less than his emotional one, because now…now she had what Sasuke was never able to find; closure.

On that bitter note, she blacked out, unconcerned by the fact that she was being carried away by someone she was too exhausted to recognize…

X.X

What she woke up to shook her to the bone; she was resting against one of her giant cats, wondering how on earth she got there. She surveyed her surroundings, her eyes coming to a halt of the forms of Koraseru and Neji. The rosette noted that all of the summons, save for Fushicho, were in attendance.

They were sitting before a pile of ash, both hunched over in what Sakura could only assume was grief…

She finally realized that the cat she was using as a pillow was Nyaka and asked him gently to help her over to mourning two; she wasn't sure if she would be strong enough to get to them on her own, especially if the scene was as heartbreaking as it appeared.

"What happened?" the kunoichi questioned before they were in hearing range, not wishing to intrude if she herself didn't have any idea what had transpired.

Nyaka's ears flattened against his skull. "Tori-sama was injured in battle with Manda… He perished in a show of flames, Sakura-hime…" he reported with a tight voice, the very action of speaking a feat in this form of sorrow.

And then the emotions hit, escaping their confines with a rush so powerful that Sakura couldn't stop them from showing on her face. The product of this emotion; tears, so hot they burned as they rolled down her cheeks.

This wasn't only for Fushicho, even though he was the grain that tipped the scale… No, it was an accumulation, from the time her parents were killed mercilessly to just an hour ago when Sasuke's life was ended…

She had never allowed herself to the time to actually grieve. Sure, she had cried herself to sleep countless times, but never grieved… It was long overdue, this mourning, but it was a relief, oddly enough…

When she finally made it to the bed of ashes, she collapsed by Neji's side. Never in her life had she witnessed him cry, but with the loss of his friend and honored summon he had due reason.

He looked to her as she fell in beside him and took her by surprise when he reached out and clutched her to his body, afraid that if he let her go, he would have nothing left to live for; his left eye had been rendered useless and his longtime friend had died in battle. She was the last thing, person, of great importance to him, and he didn't want to lose her too.

She had yet to notice the blindness in his left eye, but he wasn't sure how obvious it would be considering he already had the appearance of a blind man…

As he sobbed into the crook of her neck and she cried with almost the same intensity into his chest, Koraseru looked on at Fushicho's ashes, unable to help the single tear that escaped her.

All summons looked on at the scene, some feeling more sorrow than others, but all respecting the horridness of the situation.

So lost in their sorrows, no one noticed the small shifting of the ashes, nor the almost inaudible chirping.

When a small, fluff covered head popped up through dusting, Koraseru was the first to notice.

"By the goddess…" whispered the tigress in disbelief. "Is that you Fushicho?"

The tiny bird chirped in compliance, struggling to come out on top of the ash pile.

The white tiger let out a watery chuckle. "You look quite ridiculous my friend."

The phoenix in infant form squawked in indignation, his tiny wings flapping angrily in show.

His squawking drew the attention of the two shinobi finding comfort in each other, pure shock written on their faces as they realized what was occurring.

With another squawk, the baby phoenix quickly shifted into an older form, still very young.

The flamboyant bird ruffled his newly formed feathers as he glared at the tigress and now chuckling shinobi.

"Do not laugh!" he chirped, angrily flapping his wings. "This is highly humiliating! I don't believe I can wait for nightfall to reach my full power…"

The two ninja couldn't help but laugh through their tears as the phoenix hopped about childishly.

Koraseru crouched to the ground. "We must return you to the village. You have people waiting for your return," she told them, growling good naturedly as Fushicho perched on her head, using the excuse that it was too unstable for him to fly.

Smiling through their drying tears, Neji and Sakura mounted Koraseru, taking off towards the village with the rest of the summons in tow.

X.X

Shizune entered Tsunade's office quietly. It was starting to get late and the Suna children under Neji and Sakura's watch were still huddled up in the corner, obviously still distressed.

She watched them sadly; they hadn't slept at all after Sakura's capture. Their health would pay for the deprivation later…

Tsunade herself was in her chair, staring out the window as the sun was setting. Sakura had been gone for two days and in that time she had tried to lose herself in her work.

The apprentice medic sighed. Her mentor had been like that since the morning before when she tried to call together the council. They refused to send reinforcements to cover the Hyuga due to fear; the village would be left defenseless, they had argued, and few would agree with the Hokage in favor of sending out ANBU. When called to a vote, majority ruled that no one would be sent after them.

Shizune supposed that the moment was bittersweet; Tsunade had actually finished her paperwork, but Sakura was still missing, as was the Hyuga that chased after her.

"Tsunade-sama, I—"

"Hey! That's Neechan's cat!" exclaimed Hato suddenly, running to the window where, indeed, Junshin stood on the sill.

Junshin's appearance snapped Tsunade out of her stupor, her golden eyes widening at her arrival.

A split second later, Taka, Korasu, and Washi flew into the room, circling around before landing near Taiyo.

"What on earth…"

A violent shaking outside distracted their attention from the birds. Leaning out the window to see what could have caused such a commotion they saw three figures upon a white tigress, one of which fluttering off of her head to land on the same sill beside Junshin.

"Pardon me, Tsunade-sama," Fushicho said bowing his head. "But I do believe that my two charges require medical attention."

A squawk and the small eagle-sized phoenix was transformed into his normal self, flying gracefully over to Neji and Sakura and bringing them gently into the room with his talons.

Taiyo and Hato gasped as they saw their two idols, grinning widely as they attempted to run over and latch onto them. Fortunately for the formally trained shinobi, Shizune stopped them to prevent the two children from causing any more damage.

It was a tearful reunion, even though most of it was spent in the hospital for days to come… Neji and Sakura demanded that they share a room, not wanting to be separated for obvious reasons, and Tsunade easily allowed it.

Neji, unfortunately, would never regain the use of his left eye. This blow hurt him greatly, but was something he was prepared for. He received the news gracefully, with a stoicism befitting his name.

Both were visited numerous times by multiple people. Lee brought flowers for his youthful cherry blossom, declaring to Neji that he would not lose to him in the battle of love before departing, almost bowling over Ino and TenTen as they entered the room. Hinata visited them both, tearing up upon hearing that Neji had lost one of his Byakugan but glad that they were otherwise unharmed. Hato and Taiyo never left their sides.

They were discharged from the hospital two weeks after being signed in.

Their love for each other was declared on the return home, blessings happily given by Koraseru and Fushicho. Now that it seemed there was little to worry about, the Hyuga and the Haruno were eager to start on their lives as a couple.

**End Chapter**

A/N: I tried to make this chapter longer than usual, and I hope you enjoyed it even though I took forever to update. One more chapter left; the epilogue!

I hope I didn't make Neji too OoC. I just thought that even he would cry if he lost someone close enough to him, like Fushicho. And the phoenix was reborn from his ashes! Unfortunately, Neji doesn't receive the same treatment; his left eye will be forever blind.

Please review! At least ten before I finish!

Much love,

Kaiso-chan


	22. Epilogue: Ending at the Beginning

A/N: Well my loyal readers, thank you for sticking out with me for this long. Writing this story has been a learning experience. I can clearly see my transition from young junior high girl to high school upperclassman. Though I will have other stories, this one will make up my base and will always be known to me as where I first got my claws into the FanFiction community. I love you all!

And, I was too excited to wait for ten reviews, so I updated before. :P

I have nothing more to say, other than to please enjoy this final installment of "To Turn A Raging Tide of Cherry Blossoms".

**Epilogue: Ending at the Beginning**

_Three months later: (Neji's POV)_

"Neji, hurry up!" exclaimed my vibrant, carnation-haired girlfriend, running up the path into the city of Venice. I had never been out of Japan before, and I felt I bit lost being out of my element; Sakura was the only one who knew any languages between us, and I now had to rely on her for communication between the natives. It was awkward, but worth it to see her smile after all of her hardships…

Well left Konoha about a month ago, tying things up in the village before we made our journey to the Continent. Tsunade-sama promised us as much time as we needed, knowing how this may affect her apprentice.

Taiyo and Hato left us not long after we returned from our battle with Sasuke. The group we had led to Konoha made the trip back to Suna as soon as Gaara had given the word that it was safe. It was a tearful goodbye as far as Sakura was concerned. I'm at a loathe to admit that I miss the little runts. Sakura made the promise that we would visit them as much as we can…

With a grin, I caught up with my troublesome kunoichi, making it to her side in a couple easy strides.

"So these people we're staying with," I started, perhaps for the fifth time that day. "What are they like?"

No matter how many times I asked her this, she never seemed to get tired of answering me. "Nonna Maria is the sweetest woman on the face of this earth. And Nonno Vincenzo… well, he's a bit overprotective, but I'm sure they'll both love you," she supplied, flashing me a smile.

Upon reaching the gates to the city, her adoptive grandparents were standing there, waiting for us.

The old woman ran to meet us with open arms, speaking in Italian. I would have had no chance of understanding had Sakura not been with me, but for now, I would remain in the dark.

**Normal POV:**

"_Oh, mio filio!"_ she cried, wrapping her arms around the younger and taller kunoichi. "_E 'stato troppo a lungo!"_

Sakura immediately translated for Neji before she answered the old woman. "She said, 'Oh my child, it has been far too long'. _Sì, ha la nonna," _she replied, hugging her back.

Maria stepped away to examine her charge, eying her companion as her husband came to stand beside her. "_Chi è questo giovane? Egli è molto affascinante. Un ragazzo, forse?" _she asked, winking slyly.

Sakura blushed. She had just commented on how handsome Neji was, asking if he was her boyfriend. While true, it was still embarrassing to be hearing such comments from someone who was like her grandmother.

"_Nonna, è Neji, e sì, lui è il mio ragazzo_," she confirmed for her Nonna. "Dire nonno di trattare anche lui," pleaded the rosette; she had asked her Nonno to treat him well. The old man had the decency to appear innocent.

"_Hanno idea di cosa si parla,_" Vincenzo replied with a grin, reaching out to hug the girl he had saved a few years back. His comment seemed to back up his appearance, ("I have no idea what you're talking about."), but Sakura knew better and simply shook her head good-naturedly.

Maria stepped up to Neji, holding his face in her hands as she gave him the customary pecks on his cheeks. "It…is nice to meet you…" she said in Japanese, smiling widely as she gave him a strong hug.

Neji, even through his shock, was able to return the hug, albeit awkwardly. "And you as well," he replied, a small, rare smile upon his face.

She looped her arm through his, her face growing a bit more somber. Her husband did the same with Sakura.

"_Dobbiamo rendere omaggio ai vostri genitori, cara_?" the old woman asked the pinkette, leading them into the city.

"_Si," _she replied, looping her free arm through Neji's.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Where are we going?"

She didn't look at him, keeping her eyes forward. Already it was hard for her… "We're going to pay our respects to my parents. It's the four year anniversary of their death today…" she answered quietly, smiling softly to reassure him that she wasn't ignoring him.

They walked alongside one of the canals, trusting the old Italian couple to get them to the cemetery. They stopped only once at a flower vendor's stand, ("_Un fascio de rose bianche per favore."), _ordering a bouquet of white roses to lay at their graves.

Vincenzo released Sakura's arm to allow her to carry the roses and still grasp her boyfriend's arm, moving to clasp his wife's instead.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the cemetery, walking respectfully into the Rodrigo family monastery. Maria and Vincenzo had entombed her parents in their family crypt, having grown to view Sakura as family and extending the same feelings to her deceased relatives.

Maria released the Hyuga so that he might kneel beside the tomb with Sakura as she put the flowers on the ledge. He took her hand in his, squeezing it to let her know that he was there with her.

She returned the squeeze, her grip on his hand tight as her eyes started to water. He honestly couldn't say that he was surprised when she suddenly threw herself into his arms, clutching his shirt as she cried. He rubbed soothing circles into her back as Maria and Vincenzo respectfully kept their distance.

Neji looked at the tomb marker over Sakura's pink locks, clearly reading in Japanese, "Haruno Ayame, Haruno Saboten" in the engraving. The dates had been neglected in the etching, but it was the same for all other etchings in the monastery; only names, no dates. The reasoning was lost on him, but now was not the time to question such things.

After minutes of sobbing, Sakura pulled herself from Neji's chest, looking at her parent's final resting place with a sad twinkle in her eye.

"_Addio mamma, papà," _she whispered, running a hand along the engraving; the beginnings of her closure. "Goodbye mom…dad…"

**Chapter End**

A/N: Well, that's it; my story is over. I hope you enjoyed "To Turn a Raging Tide of Cherry Blossoms" and I hope that all of you readers will continue to read my stories. I don't plan on abandoning , and hopefully I'll have a new story up soon. Look for it, even though I have no idea which one I'm going to post.

Some background info: Rodrigo is supposedly my great-great grandmother's maiden name. I know that it sounds Latino, but I assure you, she was purely Italian. Maria was the name of my great-great grandmother, and the Maria in this story is dedicated to her. She died last year of old age and grief. Her birthday was on Valentine's Day, and she would have been 112 this year. I miss you Grandma! Happy early birthday, and I love you!

Please review! I just want to hear what you all think about the culmination of my work. Do you think you could get me up to the 300 mark? I love you all, and thank you so much for reading.

-Love

Kaiso-chan


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